1985 to the present day on the ground stone industry finds that is addet to the collection of Istanbul University Prehistory laboratory Assesment

Abstract

Assemblages of ground stone industry have a variety of tool types and shapes. Recently researchers have focused particularly on, the find spots, role and function of the ground stone tools. Evaluation of production properties are currently in use, besides the shape properties in the research methods. Researches on this subject are conducted in the laboratory, as well as on the field. Also, the experimental researches are frequently used in the research methods of ground stone tools. As the unstudied assemblages from excavations have grown in number through many years, it is now difficult to preserve them. Some ground stone assemblages, that have been subjected to limited researches, are exhibited in the museums or kept in their depots. Some other study assemblages either from ongoing or past excavations, on the other hand, are preserved in university laboratories. The Prehistory Laboratory at the Prehistory Department of Istanbul University is one such example. It has a remarkably rich collection with chipped stone tools, pottery and small findings related to ground stones. It is also an active research center, where national and international researchers share their ideas and studies and whose collection expands every year with the addition of new finds. The ground stone assemblages existed in the collection of Prehistory Laboratory, since its establishments. The assemblages until 1985 in the laboratory, have been studied as the subject of a master thesis. This paper discuss the assemblages in the collection from 1985 to present, focusing on tool types, functional characteristics and statistical results.