A microburin is a characteristic waste product from manufacture of lithic tools — sometimes confused with an authentic burin — which is characteristic of the Mesolithic, but which has been recorded from the end of the Upper Paleolithic until the Chalcolithic.[1] This type of lithic artifact was first named by Henri Breuil who defined it as "a type of angular, smooth, with a terminal retouch in the form of a small notch".[2] Breuil initially thought that the microburins had a functional use as a type of microlithic burin. However, he later came to realize that the manufacturing technique was different from that of the burin and that they could be waste products from the manufacture of microliths,[3] but they may have occasionally been reused for a useful purpose, which is expected for parsimonious lithic resource exploitation
A microburin is a fragment of a lithic flake, or more precisely, of a lithic blade, that shows on its upper face the beginnings of a notch terminating in an oblique flection (whose surface can only be seen from the lower side) that ends in a very acute trihedral apex. It was thought that microburins were exclusively a class of functional microliths, but knapping experiments, along with the refitting of contiguous pieces, have demonstrated that they are a characteristic waste product of an advanced lithic reduction process known as microburin technique - or more correctly, microburin blow technique, following a study of thousands of microburins originating from a variety of
Saharan sites. Jacques Tixier noted that none of the examples studied showed unambiguous traces of intentional use, which also validates observation of lack of use wear from analysis of European pieces.[4]
Examples found in Europe can be seen on this page : https://web.archive.org/web/20090131231751/http://archeobase.be/page_microburins_meso.html, which are associated with Mesolithic hunters of the Walloon region of Belgium (approximately 9,000 BP).
There is also a particular type of microburin named after Krukowski[5] that is from a carving accident and not a waste byproduct.
^Brézillon, Michel (1971). La denomination des objets de Pierre taillée. Paris: CNRS. IVe supplément à «Callia Préhitoire». (pages 127 y 272)
^Breuil, Henri (1921). "Note sur la communication de E. Cartailhac: observations sur l'hiatus et le néolithique". L'Anthropologie. 31: 349–354.
^Breuil, H. y Zbyszewski, G. (1947). "Revisión des industries mésolithiques de Muge et de magos". Communicaçoes dos Serviços Geológicos de Portugal. 28: 149–196.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Tixier, Jacques (1963). "Typologie de l'Epipaléolithique du Maghreb". Mémories du Centre de Recherches Anthropologiques, Préhistoriques et Ethnographiques. 2: 42.
^Krukowski, Stefan (1914) - "Un nouveau rebut du microlithique". Extrait des Comptes Rendus de la Société Scientifique de Varsovie
A microburin is a characteristic waste product from manufacture of lithic tools — sometimes confused with an authentic burin — which is characteristic...
The microburin technique is a special procedure for cutting up lithic blades which yields fragments that can be used in the manufacture of utensils. The...
truncated retouching, which leaves a very typical piece of waste, called a microburin. The microliths themselves are sufficiently worked so as to be distinguishable...
(mainly curved and arched backed bladelets) and the intensive use of the microburin technique was a trait foreign to previous Levantine industries, but instead...
characterized in most areas by small composite flint tools: microliths and microburins. Fishing tackle, stone adzes, and wooden objects such as canoes and bows...
differ from earlier industries by the presence of geometric microliths, microburin, scalene triangles, trapezoids and chisel-ended arrowheads and small flint...
signs of influences coming from North Africa to the Levant, citing the microburin technique and "microlithic forms such as arched backed bladelets and La...
result microblades were a vital part of the Chumash economy. Microlith Microburin Crabtree, Don E. (1972). An introduction to flintworking, (Occasional...
replaced by the "backing" technique and coincided with the emergence of microburin methods, which involved snapping bladelets on an anvil.: 172–3 Natufian...
needed] Small stone tools called microliths, including small bladelets and microburins, emerged during this period. For instance, spears or arrows were found...
industry was originally thought to have originated in Africa because the microburin technique was not yet known to be much older in the eastern Levant. Currently...
bladelets, single and opposed platform bladelet cores, river cobbles, microburins, La Mouillah points, backed bladelets, Ouchtata bladelets, obtuse-ended...
technique typical of the levallois diorite based industry, with few microburins present archaeologically. SEBILIAN II and III tools were made using a...
– small stone tools called Microliths, including small bladelets and microburins, emerged during this period. Weapons – spears or arrows were found at...
polished axes, scissors, chisels, borers, scrapers, retouched blades, microburins and a few flaked picks. Jacques Cauvin has termed the collection of flints...
distinguished by the use of different types of microlithic tools, especially microburins. The Nebekian is also usually found in the eastern steppes and deserts...
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