Some Comments on Blade Technology and Eastern Clovis Lithic Reduction Strategies

Abstract

Blade/bladelet technology has been described as a highly efficient manner by which to produce stone tools, both tool blanks and finished forms. It was practiced during the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic (or Epipaleolithic) over vast portions of Europe, Asia, and Africa and it has also been ascribed to the Paleoindian Period for both Pre-Clovis and Clovis assemblages. However, the authors believe that in North America blade technology was relatively rare when compared to Old World settings and almost absent in some areas such as northeastern North America. Eastern Clovis lithic reduction systems supported a high degree of mobility, extremely low population densities, and an adaptation to a highly variable and changing Allerød and Younger Dryas environment. At roughly the same time, Old World Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic peoples used relatively structured and standardized blade/bladelet manufacturing systems that best suited higher population densities with lower levels of mobility. This paper examines the characteristics of these different lithic reduction strategies and outlies the benefits of the bifacial core and tool technologies employed by early Paleoindians.