Middle and Late Bronze Age Metal Tools from the Aegean, Eastern ...

organized.” 530
My assertion regarding the importance of tool kits in Mediterranean
caches is based on evidence discussed throughout this chapter, which shows that metal
tools were diverse and by far the most common hoard component (also see the listing of
hoards in Appendix 3). The variation of tool types (from the same functional category) in
a cache is the primary indication of an implement set. A broad range of tool choices is a
sign that implements were hoarded because of their particular role in a craft industry and
not just according to their material value. In this way, hoards take on the structured
character of the tool kits therein. Scholarship on the nature of hoards is expounded upon
later in this chapter, but it suffices to say here that a hoard’s components are more
purposeful in their assembly than previously conceived.
II. Methodology for identifying prospective tool kits
Modern day tool kits may differ from one another in sweeping or subtle ways,
depending on the job in mind. The compulsory tool set for repairing a car consists of a
series of sockets that differ as little as one millimeter in diameter; likewise, professional
drill sets (e.g. for carpentry or sheet metal work) include specially-designed drill bits, the
sizes of which vary by small increments. Every piece serves a specific task, and the
assemblage would be incomplete without each item. Prehistoric tool kits were formed
according to the same guidelines and variation, resulting in a compilation of diverse and
deliberately selected objects. It is also important to recognize that kits may contain tools
made of different materials. Take, for instance, the tools needed for producing thread by
hand. Needles, distaffs and spindles could be made of metal or bone, but the essential
530 Needham 1999, 44.
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