Chipped Stone Tool Industries of the Earlier Neolithic in Eastern Scotland

Abstract

Summary This paper reviews chipped stone tool industries of the Earlier Neolithic in eastern Scotland. Assemblage size, raw materials and primary and secondary technology are discussed and some preliminary models are proposed: these suggest that assemblages are often small and dominated by flint. Very small quantities of Arran pitchstone are often present. Narrow flake and blade platform technologies are present and there is evidence for curation of cores. Bipolar working forms an important component of these assemblages. Retouched pieces are generally in keeping with earlier Neolithic forms in other regions: leaf shaped arrowheads, elongate plano-convex knives, and a range of convex scrapers. Polished axes are rare in the kinds of contexts in which flaked lithic artefacts are found. Lithic assemblages are often included in 'structured' deposits of varied kinds. The