Experimental Studies of Stone Mortar Manufacturing Technology (based on materials from bronze age sites in Surxondaryo region of Uzbekistan)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2025.2.134.144Keywords:
Bronze age, Uzbekistan, stone artifacts, techno-morphological and experimental traceological analyses, raw material sources, experimental program, stone mortars, hammerstones, manufacturing technologyAbstract
This study focuses on exploring the methods of manufacturing stone mortars, which are frequently found in various settlements of the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age in Uzbekistan. To achieve this, specialized research was conducted following a program developed by the authors, which included a preparatory stage and experimental work. The research involved: examining literary sources and original archaeological artifacts from numerous sites in the Surxondaryo region of Uzbekistan, selecting suitable local stone materials for the mortar and the tools used in its production, preparing the stone blank, and hollowing out the recessed part. Throughout the study, all stages of the work were meticulously documented: stone processing through percussion and pecking, the selection and gradual wear of the hammerstones used in the experiments, and the time spent by the researchers on each operation. Wear traces on the experimental tools used to manufacture the mortar were analyzed using traceological methods. Additionally, the technological specifics of processing different types of stone—varying in hardness, such as sandstone, dolomite, diabase, granite, and limestone—with stone tools were determined. As a result of this work, it was established that a shallow mortar, similar in shape and size to Bronze Age artifacts, can be produced in 1 hour and 30 minutes using unmodified stone hammerstones and pecking techniques.
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