Making Sense of Quartz Assemblages: A Multi-Method Approach to a Small Mesolithic Site in Eastern Central Sweden

This study examines a Mesolithic quartz assemblage from Böksjötorp, Kolmården, Sweden, and evaluates the potential of an experimentally developed hybrid use-wear approach for extracting archaeological insights from a limited lithic dataset. The study integrates high-powered use-wear analysis, metric striation analysis, spatial intra-site distribution, and Minimal Analytical Nodule Analysis (MANA) to reconstruct site activities and assess tool use patterns. A majority of utilized edges (84.62%) aligned with experimentally established damage groups, while a subset (15.38%) deviated, suggesting that factors beyond material properties, such as transitional wear states and post-depositional alterations, may influence wear formation. The spatial distribution of utilized artifacts indicates distinct activity areas, with one cluster reflecting a specialized field camp for hide processing while another represents short-term, opportunistic raw material exploitation. By demonstrating the applicability of a structured and replicable use-wear analysis for quartz artifacts, this research contributes to methodological advancements in lithic analysis.