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Issue 4 (89)

EXPERIMENTAL AND TRACEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF “IRON-LIKE” TOOLS (UTYUZHKI) MADE OF TALC AND TALCOCHLORITE
Year	2025	Number	4 (89)
Pages	110-119	Type	scientific article
UDC	902	BBK	63.4
Authors	Skochina Svetlana N. Usacheva Irina V.	Topic	EXPERIMENTAL TRACEOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE URALS AND SIBERIA
Summary	This article describes the conditions and principles for creating a reference collection of use-wear traces in the grooves of “iron-like” tools (Utyuzhki) made from talc stone, employing an experimental-traceological method. It was established that the traces within the grooves, despite identical movement kinematics — reconstructed for archaeological analogs as reciprocating with rotational elements — exhibit different characteristics depending on the material used (reed, wood, bone). The experimental study identified three blocks of use-wear traces in the grooves of all tested “iron-like” tools: surface deformations, polishing, and linear marks, each with a distinct set of features corresponding to specific material types. A comparative analysis with archaeological specimens strongly supports the hypothesis that grooved stones were used as straighteners for reed arrow shafts. The study also experimentally verified and documented the occasional use of the groove as a bone polisher and a straightener for the wooden component (the fore-end) of composite shafts (wood + reed). Among the other proposed functions of these tools, some were found to be unfeasible (e. g., calibration or grinding of wooden shafts or bone) due to the non-abrasive nature of the stone. Others showed varying degrees of effectiveness. Bone polishing proved inefficient and impractical, leading to rapid wear of the groove, which polishes more intensely than the item itself. Straightening wooden shafts using these tools was also labor-intensive and inefficient compared to simpler available methods. The “iron-like” tool proved to be a highly effective instrument only for straightening reed stems. Notably, no visual signs of surface deformation were observed on the tools, even after long-term experiments under high-temperature conditions.
Keywords	“iron-like” tools (Utyuzhki), shaft straighteners, grooved stones, polishers, reed shafts, arrow shafts, experiment, traceological analysis
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