An evaluation of Keeley's microwear approach

Lawrence Keeley has developed a microwear approach to lithic use-wear analysis which he claims will enable an investigator to reconstruct aspects of implement function. A notable feature of his approach is the assertion that distinctive wear-polishes form as a result of contact with specific worked materials, making the identification of worked materials possible. To verify the power of this approach, an independent “blind test” was conducted in which Keeley attempted to identify the uses of a set of experimental implements. While the test results support the utility of Keeley's approach in identifying worn areas on an implement and kinematics of use, we suggest the results do not demonstrate the existence of characteristic wear-polishes and thus question the efficacy of this technique in identifying worked materials.A reply by Keeley to this evaluation follows this paper.