Our techniques consist of the latest in scientific research design and traditional technological approaches. Alternative approaches to usewear analysis i suggest that the only way to identify a utilized flake is through microscopic examination of usewear. Alternative approaches to lithic analysis volume 1 of american anthropological association, archeological papers of the american anthropological association issue 1 of archeological papers of the american anthropological association, issn 1551823x. Typology versus attribute analysis here i assume you are all familiar with the discussion in the 60s and 70s between the binfordians and the bordesians concerning typology versus attributes in the understanding of assemblages. This approach preserves much geometric information and generally is more faithful to wholeobject form. Since the introduction of sergei semenovs translated monograph prehistoric technology 1964, usewear. Sub hamburg b97370 current approaches to the analysis and interpretation of small lithic sites in the northeast edited by christina b. An extensive and expanded glossary makes this book an invaluable reference for archaeologists at all levels. This book is a fully updated and revised edition of william andrefsky jrs groundbreaking manual on lithic analysis. Finley 2004 seeing the forest but missing the trees. Alternative approaches to lithic analysis donald o. Archeological papers of the american anthropological association.
Rather than present an encyclopedic summary of the research on lithic artifact analysis that is currently being. Alternative approaches to stone tool analysis, edited by shannon p. For years no such manual existed, but recently the ice has been bro ken by bill andrefskys lithics. Individual volumes are organized around a specific topic and edited by a volume editor. The fractal distribution is the best statistical model for the sizefrequency distributions that result from some lithic reduction processes. Black laboratory of archaeology, indiana university july 2010 amick, daniel s. Debitage analysis and archaeological interpretation alan p. Pst typology and more recent alternative ap proaches. Preliminary study suggests that ahlers mass analysis model and log skew laplace functions hold particular promise for behavioral interpretation from debris assemblages. It examines new emerging techniques, such as the advances being made in lithic debitage analysis and lithic tool analysis, and includes a new section on stone tool functional studies. Archaeological papers of the american anthropological association no. In prehistoric quarries and lithic production, edited by.
The materials captured within each screen were sorted into debitage and nondebitage and the counts and weights of each category were recorded. Current approaches and new directions in lithic analysis. It is with this idea in mind that the current volume is presented. Introducing the reader to lithic raw materials, classification, terminology and key concepts, the book comprehensively explores methods and techniques, presenting detailed case studies of lithic analysis from around the world. This entire volume is devoted to various approaches to lithic analysis. This approach preserves much geometric information and generally. Whittaker june 16, 2015 this is a computerization of bibliographic file cards i started keeping around 1980 for my. Pdf on jan 1, 1993, roger grace and others published the use of expert systems in lithic analysis find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Several different lithic analytical studies are presented in chapters8 and 9 in order to illustrate how lithic analysis relates to interpretation. Lithic technology is the leading refereed serial publication for the study of ancient stone tools and technology. An issue of lithic classification in ontario archaeology chen shen.
In archaeology, lithic analysis is the analysis of stone tools and other chipped stone artifacts using basic scientific techniques. Aurignacian lithic economy and early modern human mobility. Alternative approaches to lithic analysis volume 1 of american anthropological association, archeological papers of the american anthropological association issue 1 of archeological papers of the american anthropological association, issn 1551823x volume 1 of archeological papers of the american anthropological association. Click download or read online button to get alternative approaches to lithic analysis book now. Alternative approaches to lithic analysis download ebook. Therefore, a short summary of stone tool production and the range of lithic artefacts among. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. This article explores the relative strengths and weaknesses of four different methods by applying them to the analysis of experimentally produced debitage.
Native fiber industries from eastern north america, edited by j. Pdf best books to read, top books to read alternative approaches to lithic analysis. Alternative approaches distinguish flake types based on platform morphology, with an argument that hammer types leave behind diagnostic flake plat. The book was awarded the 2005 saa award for excellence in archaeological analysis. We describe an alternative approach to lithic analysis that involves three dimensional laser scanning and geometric morphometries. Cortex amount is also used to deduce lithic reduction stages. Designed for students and professional archaeologists, this highly illustrated book explains the fundamental principles of the measurement, recording and analysis of stone tools and stone tool production debris. Alternative approaches to lithic analysis henry 1990.
American anthropological association, 1989 history 256 pages. All of the examples presented use various kinds of lithic artifacts and all revolve around a central theme. Southamptons ma in ceramic and lithic analysis for archaeologists draws on the expertise of staff working on all archaeological periods, across the world. Selected bibliography of lithic analysis and sourcing compiled by edward herrmann and timothy baumann glenn a. The lithic components under consideration were always dominated by cherts available within a few kilometers radius.
Debitage analysis is the systematic study of those chipped stone flakes. However, the results of most debitage analyses are unconvincing because of questionable assumptions. Ahler 1989 was found to be sensitive to reduction mode hard hammer, soft hammer, pressure and to. Your data and research questions are our top priority and each project is matched with the best methods of analysis. Macroscopic approaches to analysis, and brian kooymans understanding stone toolsand archaeological sites.
Fourteen of the chapters in the volume were presented as papers in a symposium entitled current approaches to the analysis and interpretation of small lithic sites held at the new york state museum in albany in november 2003. Mcpherron this book first published 2007 by cambridge scholars publishing 15 angerton gardens, newcastle, ne5 2ja, uk british library cataloguing in publication data a catalogue record. Flake debris produced from a series of lithic reduction experiments. An extensive and expanded glossary makes this book an invaluable reference for all archaeologists. View the article pdf and any associated supplements and figures for a period of 48 hours. In archaeology, in particular of the stone age, lithic reduction is the process of fashioning stones or rocks from their natural state into tools or weapons by removing some parts. It has been intensely studied and many archaeological industries are identified almost entirely by the lithic analysis of the precise style of their tools and the. Usewear analysis is a means of studying userelated edge damage on stone tools. The subject is broadly conceived, and includes manufacture, use, form, and sources of lithic artifacts. Given that there can be thousands or tens of thousands of pieces of debitage from a site. I suggest reading the entire volume, but at least the chapters appropriate for this subject.
A great diversity of approaches to the analysis of chipped stone debitage has been developed. Typology versus attribute analysis here i assume you are all familiar with the discussion in the 60s and 70s between the. Testing debitage typologies with statistical analysis. In alternative approaches to lithic analysis, edited by d.
A lithic size grade analysis was conducted where the lithic material from each excavated 1x1m unit was sifted through a series of five nested screens of mesh sizes, 1in, 34in, 12in, 14in, and 18in. Pdf recent developments in the analysis of lithic artifacts. Lithics macroscopic approaches to analysis lithics, the practice of stone artifact analysis, has undergone many changes in recent years with the developmentof new techniques of analysis andthe assessmentof older techniques. The fractal dimensions of lithic reduction sciencedirect. Current approaches to the analysis and interpretation of. Rozen the systematic study of chipped stone debitage provides important information about prehistoric lithic technology. Proceedings of the university of tulsa conference on lithic analysis archeological papers of the american anthropological association by donald o. Archaeological papers of the american anthropological association 1. In other words, any lithic artifact serves as a potential core or nucleus for further reduction aimed at the production of useable flakes and tools. By continuing to browse this site you agree to us using cookies as described in about cookies.
Although useful, orthogonal dimensions do not capture the geometric configuration of specimens. Tools versus cores alternative approaches to stone tool analysis. In this paper, i statistically analyze an experimental assemblage of flakes from three different hammer types. Alternative approaches distinguish flake types based on platform morphology, with an argument that hammer types leave behind diagnostic flake platforms. Lithic analysis is the study of those objects, and can entail things like determining where the stone was quarried called sourcing, when the stone was worked such as obsidian hydration, what kind of technology was used to make the stone tool flint knapping and heattreatment, and what evidence there is of the tools use usewear or residue studies. The epistemologies of different approaches to lithic analysis levels of theory and social practice in the reduction sequence and chaine operatoire methods of lithic analysis abstract there are more areas of overlap as well as distinction between the reduction sequence and chaine operatoire meth. Dec 31, 2003 for years no such manual existed, but recently the ice has been bro ken by bill andrefskys lithics. In this paper, a broader approach to lithic analysis is applied in the study of. This practical volume does not intend to replace a mentor, but acts as a readily accessible guide to the basic tools of lithic analysis.
These can take the form of analysis of an archaeological or experimental assemblage. We will introduce you to a wide range of approaches, supported by a suite of dedicated laboratories, and excellent archaeological and ethnographic artefact. The measurement and interpretation of cortex in lithic. In alternative approaches to lithic analysis, edited by donald o. Fractals are a large class of complex, selfsimilar sets that can be described using powerlaw relations. This book is a fully updated and revised edition of william andrefsky, jr. Tools versus cores alternative approaches to stone tool. A framework robert allen mahaney indiana university, usa research into the cognitive foundations of lithic technology has been increasingly proli. Pdf current approaches and new directions in lithic analysis. The most common study of debitage involves simple or complex cataloging of the flakes characteristics, such as source material, length, width, weight, thickness, flaking scars, and the evidence of heattreatment among many others. Archeological papers of the american anthropological association no. State historical society of north dakota, bismarck. This productive approach has potential to revitalise lithic analysis in southeast asia. Lithic analysis, cortex, dorsal scars, flake platform, precontact period.
1417 1353 227 1442 606 62 573 318 1135 865 1527 73 350 505 645 948 543 513 832 124 1405 998 138 1460 1407 456 44 829 335 47 1183 1021 1415 328 815