From Mould to Earth: Experimental and Traceological Study of Lusatian Socketed Axes

by Kamil Nowak (1), Albin Sokół (2), Dawid Sych (3) 1 Institute of Archaeology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland 2 Archaeological Museum in Biskupin, Poland 3 Scientific Association of Polish Archaeologists, Upper Silesian Branch, Poland Socketed axes are one of the most common types of artifacts from the European Late Bronze Age. A local variant known as Lusatian socketed axes, distinguished by their characteristic ornamentation, has been the subject of our interest for many years. For over a decade, we have been working on creating a database of traces of production and use-wear that have been found on the surfaces of artifacts from various contexts, such as graves, hoards, and settlements. Recorded traces are diverse and correlate with patterns observed by other scholars. The influence that conservation has on the preservation of traces of production and use-wear has also been a focus of our research. To better understand and interpret recorded traces of