Wedges, Pieces Esquillees, Bipolar Cores, and Other Things: An Alternative to Shott's View of Bipolar Industries

Abstract

In a recent paper, M. Shott evaluates experimental, archaeological, and ethnographical evidence for the existence of small stone wedges. He concludes that virtually all objects that are called stone wedges are in fact expediently produced bipolar cores and that interpretations of bone/antler working are unwarranted. I argue that there is considerable evidence to the contrary that indicates clear association of wedges with bone/antler tools and debris in archaeological sites in the northern Yukon, and that experimental work shows that the wear and damage found on replicated specimens is definitely associated with a wedging function. Generalizations concerning the precise function of these pièces esquillées objects are therefore impossible without evaluating the archaeological context of the finds and, in the absence of organic preservation, undertaking use-wear studies.