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New methodological approaches focused on studying the reduction and use-life of stone tools have emerged in recent years, enabling researchers to move beyond strict technical and technological characterizations and explore specific aspects of occupation dynamics and economic management of resources. Previous studies have shown the importance of reduction distributions of individual measurements rather than averaged values. In this sense, survival analysis, and more specifically Weibull distributions, are one of the main inferential tools used in reduction studies. However, the resolution of Weibull distribution obtained from different methods has not been tested experimentally. In this paper, we present an evaluation of some of the main methods used in the study of core reduction intensity, such as the Volumetric Reconstruction Method, the Scar Density Index, and the non-cortical surface percentage. Our results show 1) strong and positive correlations between these approaches and actual reduction intensity, 2) similar Weibull distributions for non-cortical surface percentage, Volumetric Reconstruction Method, and logarithmic transformation of Scar Density Index. In addition, 3) the results from each method show a similar intra-assemblage variation, with a high percentage of agreement between them. As a result, all the evaluated proposals are useful and reliable methods for estimating the degree of reduction. Finally, a workflow is proposed for approaching reduction in archaeological assemblages by integrating different methods in the same study. This work has been carried out with the financial support of the Generalitat de Catalunya, AGAUR agency (2017SGR1040 Research Group), the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (2019PFR-URV-91), and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICINN/FEDER project PGC2018-093925-B-C32). The Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA) has received financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “María de Maeztu” program for Units of Excellence (CEX2019-000945-M). D.L. is funded by Post-Doc Xunta de Galicia Grant (ED481B_2022_048). J.R.R. is a beneficiary of a Margarita Salas postdoctoral fellowship (MARSALAS21-22) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities, the European Union-Next Generation EU, and the University of Alicante. A.C.-T. is grateful to the Max Planck Society for funding. The research of J.I.M. was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “María de Maeztu” excellence accreditation (CEX2019-000945-M).

Copyright (c) 2018 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), [EN]: This paper details the fieldwork and multi-disciplinary studies carried out at the site Balma de la Vall (Montblanc, Tarragona). The first interventions, dating from the early 80’s, identified different occupational levels related to Final Upper Palaeolithic. From 2011 to 2013 research recommenced to re-define the archaeo-stratigraphic succession, obtain absolute dates, and characterize the occupational patterns generating the archaeological assemblages. The revised sequence comprises three archaeological levels, dated to the 15th millenium calibrated BP, and therefore associated to the Final Upper Magdalenian. The raw materials exploited, the assemblage composition and reduction sequences, define the occupational pattern as short duration or low intensity one. Balma de la Vall represents one of the first examples of human occupation of the Catalan Prelittoral Range., [ES]: Este artículo presenta los trabajos realizados en el yacimiento de la Balma de la Vall (Montblanc, Tarragona). Las primeras excavaciones, a inicios de los 1980, identificaron distintos niveles de ocupación humana relacionados con el Paleolítico superior final. Entre los años 2011-2013 la excavación se reemprendió con los objetivos de definir la sucesión arqueo-estratigráfica, obtener dataciones absolutas, y caracterizar el tipo de ocupaciones que generaron los conjuntos arqueológicos. De esta forma, hemos identificado una secuencia que comprende tres niveles arqueológicos, con dataciones que los asocian al XV milenio cal BP, y por tanto al Magdaleniense superior final. Los análisis de las materias primas líticas empleadas, la composición de los conjuntos y las secuencias de reducción permiten definir las ocupaciones como cortas o de baja intensidad. La Balma de la Vall constituye así una de las primeras evidencias de ocupación humana de la Cordillera Prelitoral Catalana., Estos trabajos se enmarcan en el proyecto 2014/100574 de la Generalitat de Cataluña, el grupo de investigación SGR2014/901 (AGAUR) y los proyectos CGL2016-80000-P y CGL2015-65387-C3-1-P (MINECO/FEDER) y han sido financiados en parte por el Ayuntamiento de Montblanc. M.S. es beneficiaria de un contrato Post-Doctoral, SSHRC (Canadá) asociado al proyecto ”Stone Tools, Diet and Sociality”, J.I.M. de uno Post-Doctoral Juan de la Cierva-Formación; J.L.F-M de una beca FPI del MINECO/FSE (BES-2015-074931) vinculada al proyecto HAR 2014-55131; G.G-A. de una beca Pre-Doctoral APIF y D.L. de una beca Pre-Doctoral AGAUR/FSE (2018-FI-B-00364).