Flaked Stone Tools and Domestic Economy in a Classical Polis: Lithics from the Lower Town at Halieis, Greece

Abstract

The advent of metallurgy in the Bronze Age corresponded with a reduced role for stone tools. Objects of worked stone from historic contexts have therefore received less attention than objects made of other materials. An assemblage from the Classical city-state of Halieis in the southern Argolid demonstrates the continued use of lithics in historic periods. The material, consisting largely of obsidian blades, with few cores and other production residue, reflects either primary reduction off-site and importation of finished tools or preforms, or recycling of older material. Despite the assemblage's small size, the lithics reveal some nuances of an underreported aspect of the ancient Greek economy.