Morgan Roussel et al., « Las "bolas" o "boules de caliza" musterienses : percutores? El ejemplo del "fasonado" de las raederas bifaciales de Quina de Chez-Pinaud (Jonzac, Francia) », HAL-SHS : archéologie, ID : 10670/1.5gocmu
Several "limestone balls" were discovered during recent excavation of the Quina layers at Chez-Pinaud, Jonzac. Some of these objects show percussion marks on their protruding parts. These objects were mainly interpreted in previous excavations as bolas, by analogy with ethnographic data. We created an experimental frame of reference in which analogous stone balls were used as hammers to shape Quina scrapers on bifacial blanks similar to the ones recovered at Jonzac, according to the operational schema deduced from the analyses of Jonzac assemblage. Comparison between experimental flakes shows that limestone hammer features are shared with quartzite and organic hammers. Only one feature, tight ripples on the first centimeters of the inferior face of flakes, is diagnostic of using a limestone hammer to shape bifacial Quina scrapers. In addition, we show that some features associations are characteristic of each hammer type. Our study thus confirms the need to use limestone hammer in experimental frame of references to diagnose hammer raw materials. Moreover, comparison with the archaeological sample shows that the limestone hammers were used at Jonzac, as well as others types of hammer. The use of limestone as a hammer is here described for the first time in a context earlier than the Gravettian, and demonstrates the Neanderthals' abilities to change their technical traditions by using a wide choice of the raw materials available in the immediate environment.