Using Metrology in Early Prehistoric Stone Tool Research: Further Work and a Brief Instrument Comparison A. A. EVANS 1 AND D. MACDONALD 2 1 School of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom 2 Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada Summary: Early prehistoric research aims to dis- cover the activities of our ancestors and piece together the process of evolution and sociocultural development. A key element in this process is the study of stone tools, particularly how these tools functioned in prehistory. Currently, there are no established quantitative methods that address stone tool function. This article provides a summary of previous studies using metrological methods in stone tool research and details the use of laser scanning confocal microscopy to conduct areal surface analysis using three-dimensional data sets. Research to-date is preliminary but promising and shows that microscopic metrological approaches can provide a quantitative method to identify how stone tools were used. A limited comparison of two metrological systems is presented, the results of which highlight a need for caution and further in- vestigation on the comparability of related data sets. SCANNING 33: 1–10, 2011. r 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Key words: LSCM, surface roughness, quantifica- tion, stone tools, archaeology Introduction Prehistoric archaeological research aims to understand the behaviors of extinct and extant hominin species including subsistence patterns, interactions with material culture, and social orga- nization. Understanding past behaviors contributes to our knowledge of human evolution and the de- velopment of our species. Human evolution refers not only to physiological development but also to cognitive development, changes in social behavior, and changes in subsistence strategies. This requires the study of hominin species, including Homo sapiens, and the artifacts produced by these species, alongside evidence of prehistoric environment and climate. Stone tools are a primary source of information used in reconstructing past behaviors. Evidence of their use dates back to 3.4 million years ago (McPherron et al., 2010), and they are ubiquitous in prehistoric archaeological deposits around the world. In the majority of archaeological sites, stone tools represent the only evidence of prehistoric human activity due to the raw material’s robust nature. In other cases, this evidence is supported by faunal remains, indicating subsistence behaviors, and artifacts made from organic materials such as bone, shell, and wood. However, stone tools remain the most common source of information that in- dicates how prehistoric people lived. From stone tool data, researchers can determine where raw materials were procured (e.g., Evans et al., 2010), what techniques were used to prepare raw materials (e.g., Brown et al., 2009), what manufacturing techniques were applied (e.g., Kuhn, ’91), how stone tools were used and modified (e.g., Hardy, 2004), and at what stage they were discarded (e.g., Andrefsky, 2006). This information informs on the activities of both individuals and larger communities, indicating the activities performed on site. Furthermore, these data can be combined with other information including palaeoclimatic DOI 10.1002/sca.20272 Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) Received 9 March 2011; Accepted with revision 11 July 2011 Address for reprints: A. A. Evans, AGES, School of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Richmond Road, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK E-mail: aaevans@bradford.ac.uk Contract grant sponsor: NERC, UK; Contract grant number: NER/S/A/2004/12213; Contract grant sponsor: William John Witem- berg Scholarship, Canada. SCANNING VOL. 33, 1–10 (2011) & Wiley Periodicals, Inc.