Prehistoric Lithic Technology

In this article, chipped stone raw materials from the Garrett Allen site are discussed, with emphasis on the stone tools. As indicated by Eckles (2013), who discussed the history of investigations and chronology, this is one of several articles to be presented on various aspects of the site’s artifacts. One of the remarkable aspects of the site is the variety of chipped stone raw materials. There are varieties of flint, chert, agate, jasper, chalcedony, petrified wood, orthoquartzite, metaquartzite, quartz, silicified shale, clinker, non-volcanic glass, obsidian, and basalt from many parts of Wyoming and surrounding states. The diversity of raw material types is present throughout the cultural deposits. There is no knappable tool stone on site; the only rocks are small fragments of drab, buff-gray sandstone. All culturally manipulated lithic materials were therefore brought into the site, many from considerable distances. The site is located on private land in southeastern Carbon County, Wyoming at the northern end of the Medicine Bow Mountains and southern edge of the Hanna-Carbon Basin. It is within a homoclinal valley near the perennial Quealy Spring. Deposits are primarily alluvial, derived from the surrounding geological formations (Hayter 1981:31).

Archaeological studies of technology and craft production are often limited to one type of raw material – lithic, ceramic, and so on. Even one group of raw materials, which clearly represents one technology, with shared manufacturing techniques and forms, is sometimes split into smaller groups (for example, mollusc shells are sometimes studied separately from other osseous raw materials, or obsidian is separated from other chipped stone tools). However, for comprehensive study of technology and craft production in prehistory it is necessary to study relations between different technologies – they may share same tools, activity areas, craftspersons; changes in one technology influence the changes in others, etc.
The introduction of the Neolithic way of life brought also new tools, new tasks and new technologies. In this paper, we will explore the relations in production between bone and stone artefacts in the Neolithic. Not only stone tools were used for production of bone objects and bone retouching tools were involved in stone production, but we may also note the connection in technological changes (eg., increased use of abrasion in bone technology with the the increased number of stone whetstones), examples of skeumorphism (similar or identical forms in different mateirals) and so on. Furthermore, we tried to examine the relations of tools made from bone and stone used for the same or related tasks: for woodworking, plant processing, etc.

“Comments on polished stone implements of an Early Neolithic site near Greek border: Hocaçeşme"
In the last century, many studies were held regarding the morphological characters of polished stone implements which were generally called as celts. Sourcing studies of these implements also started quite early during the second half of the 19th century (Damour 1865, 1881). The main question regarding these implements was to learn if there was any change in morphological or technological characters compared to spatiotemporal setting of the prehistoric settlements. The second widely asked question was about the production potential of the settlements. If they were not produced on site, how could we comprehend if the prehistoric people obtained these implements by trade or exchange? The study of Hocaçeşme polished stone industry does not respond to all these questions but try to obtain supplementary information on the details of the daily prehistoric life neolithic settlements . To answer these important questions which may help us to understand the social dynamics of the prehistoric societies, we need more excavations and more analyses regarding lithic material.

Recent Office of Contract Archeology fieldwork on White Sands Missile Range, White Sands National Monument and Cottonwood Spring Pueblo revealed unusual high occurrence of flaked quartz crystal artifacts. The tools included retouched flakes, bifaces, cores, uniface, and projectile points. The data indicates a possible emerging pattern of increased use of quartz crystals during the El Paso Phase Jornada Mogollon.

In this article the problems of the analysis of flint’s splitting in the settlements of Donbass in epoch of a stone and bronze are considered. The methodical concepts of the different authors are studied using the publications of last years. The critical analysis of those publications is given where the neglect of  general science’s norms of the publication of the flint collections and their analysis takes place. The special attention is devoted to problems of the flint collections’ division from the multi-layer settlements with the mixed cultural layer.

Resumen: En este trabajo presentamos los materiales líticos de dos yacimientos del valle medio del Ebro: Las Canteras (Montón de Jiloca) y Calatayud. Se analiza el proceso de fabricación de las grandes láminas de silex en el centro de producción de Las Canteras y su posible distribución y utilización en los niveles prehistóricos de Calatayud, entre el Neolítico Final y el Calcolítico, donde aparecen como piezas de prestigio en contextos ligados al sellado o amortización de hoyos o silos. Palabras Clave: Industrias líticas, grandes hojas de silex, centro de producción, Neolítico final, Calcolítico.

The research of the planigraphic and taphonomic context of the lithic assemblages occurring in six Upper Paleolithic habitation levels made it possible to adjust the previously accepted stratification for the cultural deposits of the Kara-Bom site. In the sediments of lithological layers 4–6 from Excavation Area 4 we have identified two artifact-bearing levels – the uppermost Upper Paleolithic horizon 1 (UP1) and the lowermost Upper Paleolithic horizon 2 (UP2)

Cerro de los Indios 1 rockshelter is located in the Posadas-Pueyrredón lakes basin, in the north west part of Santa Cruz province, Argentina. Two chronological Blocks (Initial and Recent) were identified, separated by a 1000 year hiatus. Taking this feature into account, this paper seeks to examine technological change through time. The typological and technological structure of each assemblage is analysed, and other properties are considered (richness and homogeneity) in an effort to distinguish patterns of production between Blocks. The most revealing differences are found in the ways in which lithic resources were used, but at the same time other measured variables like blank selection, size and length-width modules did not seem to change much over time. The distinctive patterns of raw material use in each Block are attributed to different technological or mobility strategies.

Training and field schools, organized by research centers of Europe, USA, Canada, Australia or Japan, are the most effective way to study new methods of archaeological research. The article is devoted to the results of author’s internship in the State Archaeological Department of Schleswig-Holstein (Neumünster and Schleswig) and Archaeological State Museum at Schloss Gottorf in Schleswig (Germany) in May and June 2014. The author studied experience of organization archaeological researches, new methods of excavation and Lithic analysis, worked with artifacts collections. The practice of fieldwork allowed to study the techniques of gathering archaeological data and gained skills of preparing documentation and working with specialized equipment. The author gain new experience during research some archaeological objects of Schleswig-Holstein: Mesolithic site Hohenfelde (LA 22), several Paleolithic and Mesolithic surface scatter near the settlement Gottrupel, Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages necropolis at Bornhёved site and gate Wieglesdor – a part of the medieval fortifications system Danevirke. Research fellows from Archaeological Department and Museum organized field excursions to famous archeological sites of Schleswig-Holstein, thematic lectures, conversations and master class.

Theoretical and practical experience, gained during the training, allowed the author to outline some prospects for using new methods in archaeological research in the north of the Far East. Archaeological sites with destroyed, mixed or redeposited cultural layer prevail in the Stone Age of Kamchatka, Chukotka and Kolyma. Methods of gathering, analysis and graphical visualization of spatial information, technological analysis and refitting studies can help to identify unity and synchrony of artifact collection from destroyed object. European scientists made great progress in development of use-wear analysis. However, functions of Stone Age tools from Schleswig-Holstein remain poorly studied. The large number of perfectly preserved organic artifacts from Final Paleolithic and Mesolithic sites makes experimental and use-wear study especially actual. The comprehensive study of wood, bone and ivory preform, whole or broken artifacts on the one hand and analysis of stone tools with use-wear traces on the other hand open possibility of obtaining a fundamentally new experience of scientific reconstruction.

Khairunnisa Talib, Jeffrey Abdullah and Mokhtar Saidin (2009).Evidence of Meteorite Impact in Bukit Bunuh and Its Contribution To Archeology. IN:Proceedings of the International Seminar on Sharing Our Archaeological Heritage (Editor:Mokhtar Saidin and Kamarudin Ab. Razak). Yayasan Warisan Johor, Johor Baharu:pages: 173-186

Abstracts:

Research in Hulu Perak found the evidence of meteorite impact associated with archaelogical materials. This can be seen at Bukit Bunuh, which is actually part of the meteorite crater. The impact happened around 1.74 million years ago in the Quarternary period. Based on interpretations gathered from remote sensing as well as air and field survey, the resulting crater is a medium-sized crater with a diameter of 345 m and a depth of 0.7 km. Rocks that resulted from this impact are suevite, impact melt rock and shocked gneiss, which are present in rounded blocks and can reach the size of more than 9 meters. Evidence of the impact on the rocks can be seen through the presence of quartz minerals with lamella structures resulting from sudden metamorphism. In addition, there are also rock fragments known as ejecta blanket that were deposited outside of the crater as sediment rocks or that fell after the impact. The contribution of this meteorite impact to archaeological research is through lithic technology and source in the Paleolithic period of Malaysia and also Southeast Asia."

Abstract The site of Ficoncella, in northern Latium (Italy), represents a great opportunity to investigate the modalities of a short occupation in a fluvial context during Lower Palaeolithic. From the results of radiometric dating, geological study and bio-chronological analyses, it emerged that the human occupation at the site, an ancient riverbank, occurred 0.5 Ma (MIS 13). This period can be considered as a key moment in the Lower Palaeolithic, with the first Acheulean, or mode 2 sites in Europe. The lithic assemblage of Ficoncella, without handaxes, is characterized by an overall small tool size, representing a very original reduction sequence and tool management. In order to investigate the human behaviour characterizing the site, we analyse the lithic industries, using a classical technological analysis, combined with a techno-functional approach and a use-wear analysis. The study of the lithic assemblage of Ficoncella may contribute to renew our image of the lithic industries without handaxes, too often ignored.