Identifying use-wear distributions on sewing needles : possible Later Stone Age sewing needle made from a tooth root at Little Muck Shelter, South Africa

Abstract

Sewing needles are often identified by their form rather than use-wear. As a result, some needles may be missed that do not conform to expected morphologies unless they are inspected more closely. Existing use-wear studies focus on what materials sewing needles were working, but little research presents the overall use-wear distributions that develop on the tool as a whole. These distributions can be used to help identify sewing needles for further investigation that deviate from the traditional tool form type, especially if only a portion of the tool remains. In this study experimental hollow sewing needles were created out of chicken ulnae and used for sewing a piece of hide to isolate the distributions of use-wear that develops on such a tool. These use-wear distributions in conjunction with other attributes were used to identify a potential Later Stone Age needle made from a tooth root at Little Muck Shelter, northern South Africa. The use-wear distributions correlate with those seen on the experimental needles and shaping on the inside rim of the needle’s tip, as well as an impact fracture are strong indicators that this tool might have been used for sewing activities. Sewing technology is diverse and might take on forms that aren’t necessary viewed as such immediately, especially when a tool is used in an expedient manner.