Use-wear analyses of macro-lithic artefacts from the Early Bronze Age site of Dhaskalio, central Aegean, unveil their use as tools for metalworking

The site of Dhaskalio is located on an islet at the western end of the island of Keros in the central Aegean. Excavations brought to light the remains of an extended building complex on Dhaskalio and a ritual centre in the Kavos area of Keros, dated to the Early Bronze Age (EBA), ca. 2750–2250 BCE. Finds on Dhaskalio include an abundant assemblage of macro-lithic tools. Use-wear analysis allows us to define them as grinding, casting, hammering and abrading or polishing tools. The preliminary results of an ongoing use-wear study combining low and high-power approaches suggest that the examined items were utilised in different phases of metal object manufacture. Additionally, lead residues have been found using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF) analysis on a grinding slab. Our research provides preliminary results concerning this craft activity undertaken at Dhaskalio, supporting the hypothesis that the site may have acted as a centre for specialised artisans within a broad regional network.