Abstract
Changes and connuies in Stone Age technology are commonly described in terms of nonperishable
stone tools. This scheme is inherently biased as it does not consider the relevance of
other material culture. This study explores the technological developments of the Stone Age by
shiing the focus from tradional non-perishable stone tools to the oen-overlooked category
of bone tools, specifically bone ‘spatulae’ from South Africa. While these artefacts have been
named for their physical resemblance to modern cooking utensils, their funconal diversity and
significance in prehistoric contexts remain poorly understood. This research analyses usewear
paerns on 84 bone spatulae from eight South African sites through a combinaon of exisng
literature, micro-wear analysis and an experimental archaeology series designed to assess ten
different hypothecal funcons. The findings reveal insights into the variaon in manufacturing
as well as potenal past uses of these tools, shedding light on whether they served singular or
mulple purposes and how observed changes correlate with broader trends in the
archaeological record. The study contributes to the development of an artefact biography for
the analysed spatulae, enriching our understanding of bone tool technology in the South African
Later Stone Age.