Lithic Debitage Research Articles

Archaeological Testing of Site 41BX679 Bexar County, Texas

Testing of Site 41BX679 along Farm to Market Highway 2696 in Bexar County, Texas, to determine eligibility for inclusion within the National Register of Historic Places, cultural context, and archaeological significance was undertaken in April 1985. The site is located along a slight rise between Cibolo Creek and Muesebach Creek in northern Bexar County. It has been disturbed by previous construction or cutting of fire lines along Camp Bullis military reservation. Results of testing indicate that 41BX679 contained a minimal prehistoric component of unknown age. An intact hearth was uncovered but associated lithic debitage was almost totally absent. Evidence recovered does not support a determination of eligibility for inclusion within the National Register of Historic Places.

Volume as a Measure of Lithic Debitage

In lithic reduction sequence analyses which have been curtailed due to various types of constraints, counts and/or weights often have been used to evaluate the assemblages. These methods can lead to substantial errors, so it is suggested that volume be used as a measure instead. Volumes produce more useful descriptions of assemblages and thus can offer more sound data for interpretation.

Test Excavations at Site 41CD56 Colorado County, Texas

Site 41CD56 is an aboriginal site located on Crier Creek in northwestern Colorado County, Texas. Testing in October, 1983, revealed that moderate amounts of thermally altered chert/quartzite and lithic debitage were contained in sandy deposits varying from 20 to 110 cm in depth. Two burned rock accumulations, possibly disturbed hearths, were discovered; but no diagnostic tools or indicators of cultural affiliation were found.

Replication and Classification of Large Size Lithic Debitage

A study is presented of the attributes of flakes experimentally produced during the manufacture of bifaces, using direct percussion by hard stone, soft stone and elk antler billet. Only a few flake attributes are shown to be diagnostically significant for the type of percussor used. The value of flake size distribution for archaeological studies is also discussed.

An Analysis of Waste Flakes from Sites in the Upper Knife-Heart Region, North Dakota

An analysis of lithic debitage from seven archaeological sites was undertaken with the assumption that itcould provide insights into the technological and behavioral background of the craftsman. The analysis describes lithic debitage in terms of six categories. The sites are grouped into two phases: the Heart River phase (about A.D. 1675-1780) and the Knife River phase (about A.D. 1780-1845). The use of Chi-Square and Difference of Means statistics indicates that the present categorization of archaeological units (phases), based on ceramic analysis, is substantiated by an analysis of lithic debitage. Differences between the phases are related to the increasing loss of native material culture after White contact.

Prehistoric Workshops at Mt. Kineo, Maine

Previous articleNext article FreePrehistoric Workshops at Mt. Kineo, MaineC. C. WilloughbyC. C. Willoughby Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The American Naturalist Volume 35, Number 411Mar., 1901 Published for The American Society of Naturalists Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/277884 Views: 99Total views on this site Citations: 1Citations are reported from Crossref PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Richard T. Will A Tale of Two Flint-Knappers: Implications for Lithic Debitage Studies in Northeastern North America, Lithic Technology 25, no.22 (Apr 2016): 101–119.https://doi.org/10.1080/01977261.2000.11720967