Experimental Study Posits Possible Function of Mesolithic Beveled Tools

Archaeology Magazine ^ | May 27, 2025 | editors / unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

ERR News reports that a new experimental archaeology study may have finally solved a decades-old mystery surrounding a set of bone tools found at the oldest known settlement in Estonia. The Mesolithic site of Pulli was first investigated by archaeologists in the 1960s and 1970s, when teams uncovered a large number of stone, antler, and bone tools that were around 10,000 years old. Nineteen of them were made from elk bone and had distinctive beveled points. Initially, these were thought to be chisels, but recent reanalysis as part of the project Life and Death Written in Bones suggested they were likely used to remove the bark from pine trees. Using microscopic imaging, a team of Polish and Estonian researchers led by Grzegorz Osipowicz closely examined the wear patterns on the ends of the tools. Then they made exact replicas, which they put to various tasks, such as woodworking or processing of meat and hides, to see if they could replicate the wear patterns that they recorded on the original objects. After being used to strip fresh pine bark, the marks left on the duplicate bevel-ended tools were almost a perfect match. According to the report, during the Mesolithic period pine bark was used to make many objects, such as floats for fishing nets, cordage, and tool handles.

[SunkenCiv]

Bone tools

Courtesy Grzegorz Osipowicz/National Science Centre, Poland, project no. 2021/43/B/HS3/00500

[SunkenCiv]

• Neanderthal Tool Time [05/30/2025]

[Telepathic Intruder]

Tree bark was a very important resource for our Stone Age ancestors. They could make all kinds of useful stuff from it. It can be cooked and the oil separated for waterproofing leather. It can be turned into cement for making tools and weapons. It can even be boiled and eaten, if nothing else.

[Repeal The 17th]

“...these were thought to be chisels,
but recent reanalysis as part of the project
Life and Death Written in Bones suggested
they were likely used to remove the bark from pine trees...”
-
Wouldn’t a tool used to remove bark from a pine tree
still be called a “chisel”?

[FreedomPoster]

As you say, and as we knew from Euell Gibbons regarding pine trees, many parts are edible!

[Telepathic Intruder]

I’ve never eaten a pine tree but I’ll take his word for it.

[FreedomPoster]

That was a classic line from an old school commercial for Post Grape Nuts cereal. Heh!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOqjdRyZWiA

And no, I have never tested it out.

[Telepathic Intruder]

Yes I remember that commercial. I remember when he died and we all thought he would live forever, but it was a normal age. I guess pine trees are not life extenders.

[SunkenCiv]

Thx.

[martin_fierro]

It took 10 posts for this to show up.

We are slipping, people.