Mesolithic resinous adhesives are well known for their role as hafting mastic within composite technologies, yet it is increasingly clear that their usage was more diverse than this. Birch-bark tar has been recovered from Mesolithic contexts as chewed lumps linked to medicinal treatment of toothache and oral diseases, and as a decorative element on ornaments and art objects; and an amorphous resinous substance possibly derived from pine or spruce resin has been found within a burial context. This diversity of applications suggests that resins and tars may have been understood in different ways which did not always privilege their mechanical functionality. To underscore the limited archaeological perspective of conifer resins and tars as hafting agents, we draw on data sourced from a wide range of ethnographically documented societies, demonstrating the array of economic and social functions these materials have for contemporary hunter-gatherer groups. Using archaeological case studies, we illustrate how a deeper understanding of the material and sensory properties of resins and tars, and the trees from which they are derived, opens new insights into the diverse roles resinous materials performed within Mesolithic worldviews.

中石器时代的树脂粘合剂因其在复合材料技术中作为支撑胶泥的作用而广为人知，但越来越明显的是，它们的用途比这更加多样化。桦树皮焦油已从中石器时代的环境中回收，作为咀嚼块与牙痛和口腔疾病的药物治疗有关，并作为装饰品和艺术品的装饰元素；在墓葬环境中发现了一种可能源自松树或云杉树脂的无定形树脂物质。这种应用的多样性表明，树脂和焦油可能以不同的方式被理解，并不总是优先考虑它们的机械功能。为了强调针叶树树脂和焦油作为拔毛剂的有限考古学观点，我们利用了来自广泛的民族志记录社会的数据，展示了这些材料对当代狩猎采集群体的一系列经济和社会功能。通过考古案例研究，我们说明了如何更深入地了解树脂和焦油以及它们的来源树木的材料和感官特性，如何为树脂材料在中石器时代世界观中发挥的各种作用开辟新的见解。