The purpose of this exercise is to give introductory students experience in designing and carrying out an archaeology experiment. Such experiments are commonly used by archaeologists to generate modern analogues useful for studying past behavior.

In this exercise, students design a research project aimed at studying the use of stone tools for butchering animals. The research projects look at the ability of archaeologists to discern differences in the material (flint, obsidian and steel) and edge treatment (serrated/unserrated, retouched/unretouched) of tools used to butcher animals.

Student groups are given a description of the materials they will have at hand and work together to list the potential variables involved in the butchery of animals and . After designing a protocol for the experiment, the students use the different tools to make a set of carefully controlled cuts on fresh animal bones. These students (at right) are cutting deer bones taken from a local kill using an unhafted obsidian blade.

During the observation periods, students work with the eSEM to examine depth, shape, clarity of the cut marks, as well looking for striations along the bones and other clues as to which cutting tool was used. The students prepare a report on their findings as part of their evaluated work for the course.

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Left: student groups using the eSEM with Dr. Lisa Park (Geology and Environmental Science) examine the cut marks in an interactive environment.