Domestic activities at the Linear Pottery site of Elsloo (Netherlands): a look from under the microscope

Abstract

Use-wear analysis of a sample of flint tools from the site of Elsloo, situated in the Graetheide cluster (NL), has shed light on the domestic activities carried out within the settlement. It was shown that hide processing predominates. The extent and character of the wear on the hide working implements indicates that different processing stages took place, including dehairing and currying. It is suggested that the quality of the end product, the processed hide, must have been very high. Other craft activities are woodworking and the task responsible for polish 23, possibly flax processing. A large number of sickle blades were found as well, displaying a considerable variation in polish attributes. A possible explanation is that different crops were harvested with the same sickle. Spatial analysis of the demonstrated activities has suggested that hide processing was concentrated in one area, possibly supporting the hypothesis that in addition to a domestic mode of production, a loose mode of production was practiced as well