Morphometric Analysis of Endscrapers from the Imsil Gadeok-ri Paleolithic Site

The endscraper is a representative artifact of the Paleolithic, characterized by its distinctive rounded edge. Since the early stages of Paleolithic research, it has drawn considerable scholarly attention and has been the subject of diverse studies. This paper examines 28 endscrapers unearthed from the second cultural layer of the Imsil Gadeok-ri Paleolithic site, analyzing their morphology, attributes, refitting artifacts, and quantitative characteristics. The composition of artifacts in the second cultural layer indicates that the site functioned as a lithic production situated on a raw material outcrop, primarily associated with blade production during the Upper Paleolithic. Morphological and attribute analyses show that most endscrapers are round in form and were made from flakes or debris retaining cortical faces. A refitting analysis revealed that an endscraper (1097) was refit to its core, demonstrating that rejuvenation flakes were utilized in the production of endscrapers. Quantitative analysis using length index and eccentricity divided the assemblage into three groups. Group 1 (17 pieces) shows an eccentricity below 0.65 and a length index between 0.8 and 1.3, indicating nearly equal length and width—this group is the most numerous. Group 2 (5 pieces) has an eccentricity above 0.65 and a length index around 1.1, representing narrow and elongated standardized endscrapers. Group 3 (6 pieces) also shows an eccentricity above 0.65 but a length index below 1.0, corresponding to short and wide forms. A comparative analysis with endscrapers from other sites—Imsil Oeryang, Jeongeup Maejuk-ri, Danyang Suyanggae (Loc. VI), and Wonju Songhodong—revealed notable differences. At Suyanggae Layer 2 and Maejuk-ri Layer 1, where standardized microblade cores were also discovered, most endscrapers belong to Group 2, showing elongated shapes with finely retouched edges. In contrast, the Songhodong site, where vein quartz was mainly used, as well as the Suyanggae Layers 3 and 4 and the Oeryang site, yielded endscrapers belonging primarily to Groups 1 and 2, similar to those from Gadeok-ri—rounded forms with comparable length and width. Even within Group 2, however, differences from the Suyanggae Layer 2 endscrapers were identified. At the Gadeok-ri site, Group 1 endscrapers predominated, similar to those from the earlier blade production technique stages at Suyanggae Layers 3–4 and the vein quartz-based Songhodong Layer 2. In contrast, the later blade production contexts of Suyanggae Layer 2 and Maejuk-ri Layer 1 were dominated by standardized, narrow, elongated Group 2 endscrapers. This pattern indicates that endscraper morphology evolved according to both the chronological phase and the functional characteristics of each site. Although evidence of early standardization is partially present, the endscrapers from Gadeok-ri were largely produced using suitable flakes or debris readily available at the lithic production. They appear to have been expediently made, used briefly for immediate purposes, and then discarded

Middle Paleolithic · Upper Paleolithic · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology