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

the determination of tool functionality and specifically the discernment between wood-
and stone-working implements would be possible by inspecting traces of wear on
implements. To this end, every tool examined in person was photographed with a digital
SLR Canon Rebel Xti camera using a compact macro-lens, aimed at documenting
difficult-to-capture evidence of use wear. In addition to the detailed photographs, each
object was measured and inspected for traces of use-wear or other minute details that are
not typically published; drawings were made when time permitted. A small portable
macro-scope with up to 25 times magnification was employed to closely inspect the
implements. With official permission from the appropriate authorities, materials were
studied in twenty-four museums: fifteen in Greece, two in Cyprus, one in England, one in
France, and five in Turkey. An additional nine museums in Greece, two in Cyprus, and
ten in Turkey displayed various tools (also incorporated into the database) that were seen
but not handled. Of the different metal tools from the second millennium BC, almost
every preserved implement type was viewed or studied during my research time in the
museums.
A comprehensive searchable database (using FileMaker Pro) for second
millennium copper and copper-alloy tools (as well as some non-metal tools like stone
molds) was developed to manage the volume of information—over 5,300 objects—that
this project yielded. Analysis of the tool dataset is framed by the assumption that patterns
of tool consumption can indicate regional preferences of implements that reflect local
craft industries. The database has assisted in revealing patterns according to variable
searchable categories, such as region, functional implement type, time period, and
context. These classifications are explained in more detail in the next chapter section.
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