Denticulates and notches: What for? Use-wear analysis of a Mousterian quartz sample from the Navalmaillo rock shelter (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid, Spain)

Denticulates and notches are two of the most ubiquitous types in Mousterian industries. The increased interest on their study suggests these tools are more complex than expected. New typometric studies indicate that they are not as standardized as they appear. Moreover, new use-wear research indicates that denticulates versatile, not specialized, in function. In this paper, we present the results of a use-wear analysis of a Mousterian sample of denticulates and notches coming from the Navalmaillo rock shelter (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid, Spain). Use-wear on quartz is peculiar due to the special features of the raw material, but the wear marks are usually better preserved than those formed on better materials like flint. Our results confirm the versatility of denticulates in working on different tasks related to butchering and wood working.