An Experiment in Edge Damage When a stone flake is used in specific applications, such as sawing or whittling, distinct wear patterns are formed. In addition, unique patterns are also formed by the surface on which the tool is used. Wood, meat, hide, and bone all leave dissimilar scars on a lithic device. Modern archaeologists have devised a method, called use-wear analysis, in which attributes from archaeological remains are compared to modern examples whose function is known. This allows archeologists to determine the function of a prehistoric tool by its wear patterns. The purpose of this experiment is to note