Abstract:
Paleolithic lithic assemblages are traditionally described on the bases of presence of a variety of tool types (typology) and of different knapping technologies. In this study we tried to investigate whether the presence of different groups of scrapers in the Mar-Tarik site assigned to the Middle Paleolithic represent specific function or just different stages of the reduction process and constant changes as the result of accessibility to the raw materials. In this research Dibble's scrapers reduction model which was proposed for the first time based on Bisitun rock shelter Middle Paleolithic assemblages, was tested using the Geometric Index of Reduction method for the unifacial scrapers. The results indicate that similarities in the dimensions of the different types of scrapers in Mar-Tarik and Bisitun might be a result of using small size raw materials. Meantime different functional aspects of these two sites might have been responsible for differences in the intensity of retouch on their artifacts.
Machine summary:
"In this study we tried to investigate whether the presence of different groups of scrapers in the Mar-Tarik site assigned to the Middle Paleolithic represent specific function or just different stages of the reduction process and constant changes as the result of accessibility to the raw materials.
In this research Dibble's scrapers reduction model which was proposed for the first time based on Bisitun rock shelter Middle Paleolithic assemblages, was tested using the Geometric Index of Reduction method for the unifacial scrapers.
2. The results for GIR Test Considering H0 as: The Middle Paleolithic occupants of Mar-Tarik had enough access to the raw materials; therefore, the tools produced by them did not undergo intensive retouch.
5: Interpreted Statistics (Confidence Interval of the Difference) Discussion Dibble`s extensive work on the Middle Paleolithic lithic assemblages of the Bisitun rock shelter led him to propose that on some occasions, the different groups of scrapers, more than 21 types in Bordes's typologies [according to the location of retouch along the perimeter of the flake blank (Bordes 1961)], neither necessarily introduce a specific typology nor describe a special style of tool making.
Considering the results presented in Table 2, it is evident that changes in the mean length of three scraper classes of Mar-Tarik cave are not consistent with the prediction of SRM and are different from the reduction pattern observed in Bisitun rock shelter."