Macrowear

Macrowear is a field within archaeology and anthropology that focuses on gross, visible wear features on tool edges and surfaces created by use. It analyzes changes such as edge rounding, thinning, beveling, chipping patterns, and surface polish that are detectable without advanced microscopy. The goal is to infer the function of a tool and the materials it worked on by comparing observed wear with reference collections and experimental results.

Macrowear is distinguished from microwear analysis, which examines microscopic wear features using high magnification to identify specific substances or actions. While microwear can suggest the material worked (hide, meat, plants, or wood) and the motion involved, macrowear emphasizes broader, macroscopic attributes that can indicate general use and task domains, particularly when preservation or context limits microscopic study.

Methods in macrowear analysis typically include careful visual inspection, standardized recording of edge geometry and surface alterations, and comparison with experimental or ethnographic reference collections. Increasingly, researchers supplement observations with quantitative tools such as high-resolution photography, 3D scanning, and morphometric measurements to document edge curvature, scar patterns, and polish.

Applications of macrowear span lithic technology, bone and antler tool use, and other artifact classes. It is used to reconstruct subsistence and production strategies, tool production and retouch regimes, and site function. Limitations include post-depositional damage, patination, and the potential for different activities to produce similar macro-features, requiring cautious interpretation within broader archaeological context.

See also: microwear analysis, use-wear, lithic analysis, experimental archaeology.