For archaeologists studying prehistoric human behavior, taphonomy matters because the materials they study — bones, stones, charcoal — have typically been acted on by many processes between their original deposition and the moment of excavation.

Understanding which of those processes produced which observed characteristics of the material is essential for distinguishing evidence of human activity from evidence of natural processes that might mimic human activity or obscure it.

In the specific context of Bluefish Caves, the central taphonomic question is this: what made the marks on the bones?

The answer to that question requires distinguishing between several different processes that all produce marks on bone surfaces.

Stone tool cut marks are produced when a stone edge — the sharp flake produced by knapping a flint, chert, or similar rock — is drawn across a bone surface during activities like skinning, defleshing, tendon removal, or dismemberment.