Endscrapers are specialized tools that are usually recovered in great quantities in every Upper Paleolithic site in Europe. Although they make their first ephemeral appearance in the Middle–late Middle Paleolithic transitional technocomplexes, endscrapers commonly appear in toolkits from initial and early Upper Paleolithic traditions onwards. Nevertheless, endscrapers and, in general, domestic tools have attracted relatively little attention in debates revolving around the significance of technological change, tool function, and tool specialization after the end of the Middle Paleolithic. With the aim to overcome this paucity of information, here, we present the results of a techno-functional study performed on the large endscraper assemblage recovered from the early and late Protoaurignacian layers at Fumane Cave in northeastern Italy. We analyzed these artifacts using technological, morpho-metrical, typological, and functional approaches. Despite the large morphological variability, use-wear traces reveal functional consistency and high levels of specialization for these tools. Almost all the use-wear traces we recorded developed from hide working with transverse motion. Moreover, we find no evidence that endscrapers were involved in the production of bone and antler tools during the late Protoaurignacian. Macroscopic and microscopic wear on the lateral edges of tools point to a considerable number of hafted endscrapers, which implies systematic time investment and planning depth. Comparison with the few endscrapers from transitional industries that have been analyzed highlights marked differences in the production, morphology, and use of these tools and reinforces our view of the Aurignacian as a complex not directly related with preceding European traditions.

Endscrapers 是专门的工具，通常在欧洲旧石器时代晚期的每个遗址中都可以大量回收。尽管它们在旧石器时代中期至中期的过渡性技术综合体中首次短暂出现，但从旧石器时代初期和早期的早期传统开始，末端刮刀通常出现在工具箱中。然而，在旧石器时代中期结束后，围绕技术变革、工具功能和工具专业化的重要性的辩论中，末端刮刀和一般的家用工具引起的关注相对较少。为了克服这种信息匮乏的问题，我们在此展示了对从意大利东北部 Fumane 洞穴的早期和晚期 Protoaurignacian 层中恢复的大型刮板组合进行的技术功能研究的结果。我们使用技术、形态测量、类型学和功能方法分析了这些人工制品。尽管形态变异很大，但使用磨损痕迹显示了这些工具的功能一致性和高度专业化。我们记录的几乎所有使用磨损痕迹都是从横向运动的皮革中产生的。此外，我们没有发现任何证据表明在原始龙骨纪晚期，端部刮刀参与了骨骼和鹿角工具的生产。刀具横向边缘的宏观和微观磨损表明有相当多的半轴刮刀，这意味着系统的时间投入和规划深度。与分析过的少数转型行业的末端刮板相比，突出了在生产、形态、