4 - Twigs, Branches, Trees, and Forests: Problems of Scale in Lithic Analysis

Abstract

This chapter highlights alternative directions in lithic research. Despite the reorientations brought about by the New Archaeology, lithic studies have retained a strongly empirical and generally atheoretical character, maintaining an emphasis on reconstruction of tool function, activity areas, and site function. The lack of integration with general archaeological and anthropological goals can be attributed to the specialization that characterizes lithic studies. The popularity of functional arguments in lithic studies may be because of the fact that function is amenable to quantifiable and replicable experimentation. Hypotheses regarding the mechanical efficiencies of different tool forms or raw materials can be tested; the social dimensions of technological subsystems are less easily modeled. The development of analytical techniques such as experimental replication, experimental use, and scanning electron microscopy has prompted archaeologists to attempt reconstructions of behavior at ever finer scales. Unfortunately, the degree of refinement in observation and measurement exceeds the present abilities to make sense of the observed variation or to deal effectively with the social context of tool production, use, and discard. The trend toward greater refinement in observation and interpretation is especially reflected by the growing interest in peculiar to one individual behavior as it may be expressed in archaeological materials.