Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Lithic implement'

Les données acquises dans le cadre de l'ANR MAGDATIS sur la période 19-18 Ky calBP permettent des soulever un certain nombre de questions relatives à la mise en place du Magdalénien classique dans le sud-ouest français. En outre, de nombreux résultats de datations C14 offrent un nouveau cadre plus précis pour cette période synchrone avec les débuts de l’événement climatique d’Heinrich 1 et ses conséquences sur l'environnement (paysages et disponibilités en gibier). Parallèlement, cette période est marquée par d'importantes transformations sociales et symboliques visibles dans différents registres : sépultures primaires richement dotées, sculptures pariétales, développement de la figuration humaine et sexuelle, recomposition des équipements lithiques et osseux. L'objectif de cette thèse est de confronter les comportements techniques et économiques à partir de l’examen de séries lithiques du Magdalénien moyen ancien (19-18 Ky calBP) à ces changements suscités afin d'en inférer sur les transformations sociétales des groupes de chasseurs-cueilleurs de cette période charnière. Plusieurs séries lithiques sont disponibles pour mener à bien ce projet dans le cadre d'analyses taphonomiques (numérisation des carnets de St Germain ou Roc de Marcamps disponibles). Une révision des séries de Marcamps, St Germain, Moulin Neuf, Combe Cullier, Petit Cloup Barrat couche 3, mais également l'apport de nouvelles fouilles (Laa2 et Ste Colome dans le Béarn) permettront d'appréhender sous un nouveau jour les premiers temps du Magdalénien moyen. L'espace géographique est circonscrit au sud-ouest de la France et centré sur la façade atlantique, participant ainsi également à des réflexions sur le peuplement, les territoires et les interactions sociales développées par ces groupes
The data acquired within the framework of the MAGDATIS RNA for the period 19-18 Ky calBP allow us to raise a certain number of questions concerning the establishment of the Classic Magdalenian in southwestern France. In addition, numerous C14 dating results offer a new and more precise framework for this period, synchronous with the beginning of the Heinrich 1 climatic event and its consequences on the environment (landscapes and availability of game). At the same time, this period is marked by important social and symbolic transformations visible in different registers: richly endowed primary burials, parietal sculptures, development of human and sexual figuration, recomposition of lithic and bone equipment. The objective of this thesis is to compare technical and economic behaviors based on the examination of lithic series from the Early Middle Magdalenian (19-18 Ky calBP) with these changes in order to infer about the societal transformations of hunter-gatherer groups during this pivotal period. Several lithic series are available to carry out this project within the framework of taphonomic analyses (digitization of the St Germain or Roc de Marcamps notebooks available). A revision of the series from Marcamps, St Germain, Moulin Neuf, Combe Cullier, Petit Cloup Barrat layer 3, but also the contribution of new excavations (Laa2 and Ste Colome in Béarn) will allow us to apprehend the early Middle Magdalenian period in a new light. The geographical area is limited to southwestern France and centered on the Atlantic coast, thus also contributing to reflections on the settlement, territories and social interactions developed by these groups

This thesis concerns late Palaeolithic settlement in the region of Puglia, south-east Italy, at the close of the Pleistocene. Puglia comprises three sub-regions which contain sites of this period: the Salento peninsula, the Murge, and the Gargano promontory. The late Palaeolithic occupation must be considered in relation to the former existence of an extensive coastal plain, and to the sea-level rise which submerged it. The late Palaeolithic assemblages of the region have been studied previously by Italian archaeologists from a rigid typological stance, with various schemes put forward suggesting evolution of the assemblages through different stages of an Epigravettian tradition. In this thesis, attribute analysis is used to re-examine the principal assemblages, using published data where adequate and supplemented by samples studied by the author in Italy. The results are analyzed to seek the social and economic factors which shaped the various industries, as well as diachronic change wherever it can be demonstrated. Factors such as difficulty in obtaining raw material were clearly crucial to assemblage composition. The existing typological schemes are shown to lack real bases and to mask rather than reveal sociocultural information. Chapter 1 states the aims of the thesis and critically discusses previous theoretical approaches to the late Palaeolithic of the region. Chapters 2 and 3 describe relevant aspects of the regional palaeoenvironment. The author's own methodological approach is explained in Chapter 4, and then used for a detailed study of the assemblages from Grotta delle Cipolliane in Chapter 5. This is followed in Chapter 6 by a broader study of the late Palaeolithic assemblages in Puglia, with discussions of their possible diachronic and synchronic relationships. Chapter 7 develops this latter theme into an attempt to understand the social and economic features of the late Palaeolithic settlement of Puglia, and suggestions are made concerning future work that might improve the quality of the archaeological evidence. Chapter 8 summarizes the main conclusions of the thesis.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002.
Vita. Accompanying CD-ROM contains data recorded during examinations of six lithic assemblages and Pendulum Indenter tests, plus macros for use with data. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 553-598).

This study is intended to furnish an explicability of hunter-gather's organizational model on the lithic technology. The fieldwork area is the Imjin-Hantan River Area (the IHRA) located at the midwestern part of the Korean Peninsula. The archaeological sites included in the fieldwork are Jangsanri (ca 0.2 Mya BP), Chongokni (ca 60 Kya BP), Juwolri, and Kawolri (younger than ca 50 Kya BP). In addition, a previously excavated Upper Palaeolithic assemblage of Janghungri (ca 23 Kya BP) is included in the quantitative analysis of lithic assemblages.
For the background of the research area, chapter II is devoted to demonstrating the general environment of East Asia and current Quaternary research of Korea. Chapter III furnishes the basic knowledge on the geomorphological environment of the IHRA and the research history in this area for the last three decades was elaborated.
Chapter IV is a description on the excavation fieldworks, introduction of the discovered lithic artifacts, and new age determination based on the K-Ar, IRSL, OSL, and AMS dating methods. Chapter V is the general characteristics on the IHRA lithic assemblage. Some descriptive details on the individual artifacts are presented and technological implications of lithic types are delineated. In addition, a general reduction sequence of the IHRA assemblage is proposed.
Chapter VI is a quantitative analysis based on the exploratory data analysis (EDA); some geometric variables of artifacts were operationally defined for the purpose of acquiring more implicative analytical units. As a result of the analysis, it is revealed that the distinct interassemblage variability of raw material composition and of the morphological features of small tools and blanks constrained by differential reduction intensity can be explained in the context of the long-term-based strategic changes executed by the IHRA hominins.
Chapter VII, based on the results from the fieldwork and lithic analysis, attempted to reconstruct the geological history of the IHRA in terms of hominid's land use patterns and relevant survival strategies. As a final remark, some unsolved issues were diagnosed and future research was expected for the continual research of the IHRA.

Chipped stone tools are a truly dynamic medium of material culture. From initial reduction to contemporary excavation, lithic artifacts undergo continuous change. The role of the properties of raw materials in determining rates of use-wear accrual is poorly understood and has rarely been assessed quantitatively (e.g. Goodman, 1944; Greiser and Sheets, 1979; McDevitt, 1994). This dissertation offers such quantification regarding four materials exploited for the production of short-term use implements at the Late Archaic FA2-13 site located just outside the city of Farmington, New Mexico.
Both experimental and archaeological use-wear evidence was assessed in separate but related ways. Digital image analysis of use-wear invasiveness using ClemexVision PE and GIS analysis of use-wear homogeneity using Idrisi Kilimanjaro yielded distinct but highly complementary results. Direct testing of material properties of non-archaeological samples using a Hysitron Triboindenter served to further clarify these findings in terms of the complex relationship between raw material surface hardness and roughness.
The results of the present study show that there are significant differences between rates of wear accrual among the four materials. Analysis of tools from FA2-13 indicates that while scraping activities likely did predominate (Schutt, 1997a), it may also be feasible to generate more detailed assessments regarding the kinds of scraping activities that were undertaken and the respective intensities with which they were performed. This increased insight can then be extrapolated for application to long-term use technologies and their more complex life histories.

The spatial distribution of chipped lithic artifacts excavated at site 35C05, a Chinookan plankhouse of the protohistoric period, was observed to test the hypothesis that a gradient of material culture -- reflecting social status -- should be evident within the plankhouse, ranging from the highest to the lowest social rank. Prior to the spatial analysis, use-wear analysis was used to evaluate the classificatory labels used to describe the assemblage by a previous researcher. The use-wear analysis largely confirmed the functional classification of chipped lithic artifacts used by the previous researcher. The spatial analyses revealed that while most tool types were rather evenly distributed throughout the plankhouse interior (taphonomic factors having been considered), cutting, graving and scraping tools (as well as some characteristics of these tools, such as raw material quality) were significantly unevenly distributed, correlating with the hypothesized gradient of social rank aligned with the long axis of the plankhouse. Further analyses strongly suggested that one or more labor specialists, using high frequencies of graving tools, were inhabitants of the elite portion of the plankhouse. Most domestic activities reflected by the stone tools of this assemblage were engaged in by plankhouse inhabitants of all social ranks. Knowing that this is the case, as well as that in some instances there is compelling evidence for status-determined labor specialization, aids in our understanding of the character of aboriginal social structure on the Pacific Northwest Coast.

This thesis examines the Mid Upper Palaeolithic (MUP) of Russia (ca. 30,000-20,000 14C BP). During this time, as in the rest of Europe, the principal archaeological industry is known as the Gravettian. However, in Russia two other industries, the Streletskayan and the Gorodtsovian, are also known from the beginning of the MUP. Historically, there have been significant problems integrating the Russian MUP record with that from the rest of Europe. The research described in this thesis concentrates on backed lithic assemblages (including Gravette points, microgravettes, other backed points and backed bladelets) from five Russian Gravettian sites: Kostenki 8 Layer 2, Kostenki 4, Kostenki 9, Khotylevo 2 and Kostenki 21 Layer 3. These are studied from an explicitly Western European theoretical perspective, using standard techno-typological methods to construct typological groupings and describe the variation between and within sites. Alongside this, new radiocarbon dates from several sites Kostenki 8 Layer 2, Kostenki 4 and Borshchevo 5) were obtained. These radiocarbon dates are critically analysed alongside published dates and unpublished dates made available to this research. The results of the research constitute a new culture history for the Russian MUP. Each stage of the MUP is dated and described, and the uncertainties in our knowledge outlined. One new lithic index fossil is defined and two others are re-assessed. The Russian record is compared with the contemporary archaeological record elsewhere in Europe, in order to describe large-scale synchronic variation and changes through time in the homogeneity and regionalisation of material culture. The relationship between these dynamics and climate change are discussed.

This study is an in-depth analysis of the Lithic Artifacts excavated at the Pollock Works (a hilltop enclosure located outside Cedarville, Ohio). It is my intent to conduct a detailed analysis of the lithic artifacts from the Pollock Works in order to test the following hypothesis: Chipped stone artifacts at the Pollock Works are primarily from local and semi-local sources because these artifacts represent construction activities at the site rather than ceremonial practices. If the chert artifacts and flakes were primarily ceremonial, they would be comprised of primarily exotic cherts.I macroscopically analyzed the lithics excavated from Trench R and Trench T at the Pollock Works, 33 Gr 5, by Dr. Robert V. Riordan and Field School participants from Wright State University in Dayton, OH. Analysis concentrated on the identification of the types and sources of chert in the sample, using the Wright State classification scheme.This study is significant to the understanding of whether the Hopewell who built the Pollock Works used certain chert types in the construction of the earthwork versus the ritual aspect of the site. It was also important to analyze these lithics in order to help make inferences about the use of the Pollock Works. This study will eventually be useful to the final site report on the Pollock Works. It will also be a valuable reference tool for archaeologists studying the Pollock Works.
Department of Anthropology

Trade contributed to the formation of complex states in Southeast Asia during the historic period (1st millennium AD). It is thought that the antecedents of trade developed from prehistoric exchange networks starting in the Neolithic (2nd-3 rd millennium BC). The extent of such prehistoric networks is not clear, however, ground stone adzes have been identified as goods that were exchanged. The aim of this thesis is to examine the procurement of lithic resources at Ban Non Wat, northeast Thailand and to determine whether adzes were part of an exchange network. This thesis emphasises the relationships between procurement, reduction and the form of ground stone adzes recovered predominantly from Neolithic and Bronze Age contexts. Previous analyses in Thailand have suggested that adzes were exchanged in the Neolithic as part of a pan-regional network, but further examination is required to support this. The results from Ban Non Wat indicate that the exchange of ground stone adzes was not as common as some scholars have proposed. The detailed examination of adze reduction in this study demonstrates that use of traditional Southeast Asian adze typologies, severely limits the analysis of adze assemblages. This thesis has developed systemic models of direct access and exchange to address the question of lithic resource procurement. Significantly, these systemic models provide a methodological and theoretical framework which allows systems of adze procurement to be identified within a singlesite consumption context. This framework does not rely on distributional data from numerous sites, as has been the case for many studies of exchange. Often single-site studies of lithic resource procurement have relied on the analysis of quarries. However, this study is exceptional because it deals with a consumption/occupation context. The results show that the majority of adzes at Ban Non Wat were acquired through a direct access system of procurement and that a secondary source of cobbles was exploited. The systemic models of lithic resource procurement were successful in identifying lithic resource procurement at Ban Non Wat, and could be applied to similar assemblages in other parts of the world.

Few lithic analyses have been conducted or published on collections from Mount Rainier National Park (MORA). This study's lithic debitage analysis, and investigation of hunter-gatherer technological organization through time, contributes to the knowledge base and understanding of how hunter-gatherers used subalpine environments in MORA. The debitage sample is from archaeological excavations between 2005 and 2007 at a Buck Lake Site (45PI438) activity area in the subalpine environmental zone. Two cultural components were examined: the pre-Mount St. Helens Yn tephra component (before 3500 RCYBP) is thought to represent a forager-like mobility strategy and the post-Mount St. Helens Yn tephra component (after 3500 RCYBP) is thought to represent a collector-like strategy. Expectations theoretically grounded in hunter-gatherer mobility, tool design, raw material procurement, site function, and tool function were developed and tested. Results suggest that hunter-gatherers at Buck Lake relied on and maintained small, lightweight, transported bifaces made of nonlocal raw material regardless of expected changes in mobility strategy through time. For both foragers and collectors at Buck Lake, similar lithic raw material availability, terrain, and seasonality constraints and a common resource acquisition goal and overlapping site function resulted in similar hunter-gatherer technological organization strategies. Slight differences between the cultural components include: the use of more local igneous raw material in the forager-like component, the use of a more expedient technology in the collector-like cultural component, and smaller size debitage in the forager-like component. The use of expedient bipolar technology in both cultural components is possible, but only partially supported. Evidence of bipolar technology would suggest that hunter-gatherers were conserving nonlocal CCS by using the bipolar technique on exhausted transported tools or cached cores to produce expedient flakes used for small-game hunting and processing. Further research for the Buck Lake site should include: the sourcing of raw material; conducting experimental lithic reduction on toolstone found at Buck Lake to produce comparative debitage specimens; and increasing the lithic analysis sample size to include debitage recovered from 2008-2009 excavations and other artifact types.

Depuis la décennie de 1960, on mène des recherches scientifiques sur la préhistoire potiguar. Dans ce cadre, les industries lithiques ont été peu abordées ou comprises d’après une perspective typologique. Ainsi, le but de cette thèse est d’aborder l’industrie lithique du site archéologique Gado Perdido sur une autre optique, nouvelle pour la région : celle de l’approche technologique. À partir de la mise en évidence des chaines opératoires parmi les vestiges ramassés, nous cherchons à explorer les aspects technoéconomiques des ensembles lithiques, aussi bien que les choix, les stratégies, les gestes et les techniques employées par les tailleurs qui ont fréquentaient le site archéologique et l’alentour. Le site archéologique Gado Perdido est situé dans la région centrale de l’état du Rio Grande do Norte, au nord-est du Brésil. D’après les données de terrain, le dépôt sédimentaire contenant les vestiges archéologiques est peu épais et superficiel, ce qui qualifie le site comme site de surface. En outre, ce matériel est exposé à l’action taphonomique de petits cours d’eau temporaires lors de la saison des pluies. On y retrouve nombreuses concentrations de restes de taille. Nous avons identifié trois types de supports qui pourraient se destiner à la production d’outils. Tels supports ont été obtenus à partir de quatre méthodes d’initialisation et trois méthodes de production, selon la mise en forme des nucléus. Les éclats identifiés dans le reste de taille accordent avec le projet technique observé sur les nucléus et sur les outils. Quant aux outils, ces retouchés sont, en général, des outils plan-convexes produits dans les espaces nommées Unités Archéologiques et Amas de Taille, lesquels configurent ce site de production. Enfin nous traçons de nouvelles perspectives de recherche afin de poursuivre l’ampliation de la connaissance sur le comportement technologique des groupes humains qui habitaient la région de l’actuel état du Rio Grande do Norte.
Academic studies about potiguar prehistory since 1960, make up scene which lithic industries were not researched and was checked out, were understood from the typological perspective analysis. As such, developing this thesis aims to show a perspective about lithic industry at Gado Perdido archaeological site, using technological approach. Accordingly, tries to understand the operative chains identified in lithic material collected, in order to figure out the techno-economic aspects of the lithic collections, what fulfills the artisans choices, strategies, gestures and techniques at the archeological and surroundings. The Gado Perdido archaeological site is located in the central region of Rio Grande do Norte, Northeast Brazil, and, according to field researchs, shows little depth developing archeological packs, comprehending as a shallow site or surfaced. Besides, the archaeological material is exposed to tafonomic actions of temporary watercourses formed during the rainy seasons. At Gado Perdido area there are many shipped lithic material. Between the prospects linked to the analyzed industry, three possible support kinds are presented for the instruments production from four ways to start it and three production methods for the center formatting. The ships are in line with technical projects studies at instruments center. About retouched instruments are, generally, formed by convex planes, located in areas called of Archaeological Units and Chipping Station, which shapes this lithic production site. Still in a context of discussions of this work, aims new and future researches could continue and expand the human groups technological knowledges who lived in the region of Rio Grande do Norte state.
Os estudos acadêmicos acerca da pré-história potiguar, realizados desde a década de 1960, compõem um cenário no qual as indústrias líticas foram pouco abordadas e, quando estudadas, foram, em sua maioria, compreendidas a partir de perspectivas de análise tipológicas. Neste sentido, na construção da presente tese o objetivo é apresentar uma perspectiva sobre a indústria lítica do sítio arqueológico Gado Perdido, utilizando para isso uma abordagem tecnológica. Assim sendo, busca-se o entendimento das cadeias operatórias identificadas em meio ao material lítico coletado, tendo em vista perceber os aspectos tecno-econômicos dos conjuntos líticos, naquilo que cumpre as escolhas, as estratégias, gestos e técnicas dos artesãos na área do sítio arqueológico e em seu entorno imediato. O sítio arqueológico Gado Perdido está localizado na região central do estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Nordeste do Brasil, e, de acordo com os dados da pesquisa de campo, apresenta pouca profundidade na formação dos pacotes arqueológicos, sendo compreendido enquanto um sítio raso ou de superfície. Além disso, o material arqueológico está exposto à ação tafonômica de pequenos cursos d’água temporários que se formam durante o período de chuvas. Há, na área do Gado Perdido, diversas concentrações de material lítico lascado. Entre as perspectivas associadas à indústria analisada, são apresentados três tipos de suporte possíveis para a produção dos instrumentos, a partir de quatro métodos de inicialização, e três métodos de produção para formatação dos núcleos. As lascas, por sua vez, estão em consonância com o projeto técnico observado nos núcleos e nos instrumentos. Quanto aos instrumentos retocados eles são, em geral, instrumentos planos-convexos, produzidos em espaços denominados de Unidades Arqueológicas e Postos de Lascamentos, os quais dão forma em grande parte a este sítio de produção lítica. Ainda em meio a discussão deste trabalho, apresentamos o desejo de que novas e futuras pesquisas possam continuar ampliando o conhecimento tecnológico dos grupos humanos que habitaram a região do atual estado do Rio Grande do Norte.
Laranjeiras

Some Contributions to the Chronology of the Archaic Period in the Punas of JunínThe stratigraphy and the typology from the Uchkumachay excavations are presented as well as preliminary results of a comparative study undertaken in collaboration with D. Lavallée and M. Julien. These data bear major importance on the building of a general chronology and synthesis of the Archaic Period which still is missing for the Junín area in spite of being one of the best studied areas in the Central Andes for the time period in question.
La estratigrafía y tipología de Uchkumachay, Junín, están presentadas así como los resultados preliminares de un estudio comparativo entre Uchkumachay y Telarmachay en colaboración con D. Lavallée y M. Julien. Estos resultados tienen mayor importancia para la formación de una cronología general del Periodo Arcaico en el área de Junín la cual es una de las áreas mejor estudiadas de los Andes Centrales durante este periodo pero que aguarda aún una síntesis general y la presentación más completa de los datos disponibles.

Despite the changes in method and theory which have occurred in the study of prehistory over the last one hundred and fifty years the understanding of lithic technology has been dominated by a single perspective. This has been based on three central assumptions: (1) the form of an artifact reflects prior mental or cognitive processes which supply the formal cause, (2) the clear delineation of products as ends and (3) the neutrality of the experience of the production process which converts the cognitive into the material. This thesis presents a critique of these assumptions and demonstrates the utility of applying an alternative perspective to the problem of understanding technological change in north-western Australian stone assemblages. This is carried out via an analysis of the Ingaladdi site. The central component of the criticism of the 'traditional model’ is that it has failed to recognize lithic technology as a form of practical knowledge or 'knowing how’. The implication of the alternative understanding of lithic technology as 'knowing how’ is that stone artifacts were not and should not be seen as a series of materialized ideas or products but as a series of experienced manufacturing processes. It is the organizational structure of these reduction processes which constitute lithic technology in time and space of the archaeological record. This approach to the understanding of prehistoric technology, when applied to the Ingaladdi material, reveals two previously unrecognized elements. Firstly, the early underlying material, previously characterized as a crude and amorphous flake and core 'industry’ is seen to reflect a complex organization based on a two tiered structure utilizing both local lithic materials and that which maintains a relationship termed the 'standing reserve’. It is suggested that the amorphous nature of the early assemblages derives from their inability to separate lithic reduction from wider production processes and that it was the inherent disjunction between the structural and situational 'logic’ which preconditioned the later technological change. The second major aspect of the analysis shows that, despite their marked typological difference from the underlying, the major component of the later assemblage, the lancet flake, can be derived directly from the earlier flake production process. The transformation follows a major shift from 'on-site’ to 'off-site’ primary core reduction - the principal organizational difference between the early and later assemblages. Some implications for the understanding of technological, economic and social relations in Australian prehistory are discussed and the thesis concludes with a more detailed examination of the origins of the 'traditional’ and alternative models of lithic technology.

This study aims to determine whether current and past research on the Badarian culture of early Egypt accurately reflects the evidence uncovered in the past and the evaluation of the excavation reports by the early excavators. An archaeological re-evaluation of the Badarian culture and relevant sites is presented in the introduction. Inter-regional development of the Badarian is crucial to placing the Badarian in the temporal ladder of the predynastic cultures, leading up the formation of the dynastic era of Ancient Egypt. The following thesis is not meant to be a definitive answer on the origins and placement of the Badarian people in the Predynastic hierarchy of ancient Egypt, but one of its aims is to stimulate discussion and offer alternatives to the narrative of the Badarian culture. A set of outcomes is presented to test all hypotheses. Research questions are discussed to determine whether the Badarian culture is a regional phenomenon restricted to a small area around the Badari-Mostagedda-Matmar region, or as a wider inter-regional variable carrying on into the later Nagada cultures. To reach a hypothesis, the chronology of the Badarian is analysed, in-depth study of the original excavation reports and later research on the Badarian question. An important facet of this study is a literature review of the Badarian culture, past and present. The Badarian culture had always been a subject of speculation, especially in terms of its chronology and regional development. There is no consensus on the chronology of dispersion out of the desert to the Nile Valley, as well as areas north and south of the Nile Valley. It is important to establish the concept of an agronomic sedentary lifestyle by the Badarian, and to re-evaluate the evidence for the long-standing idea that the Badarian was in fact the first farmers of the Nile Valley, also in terms of their perceived exchange and trade networks.
Biblical and Ancient Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (Ancient Near Eastern Studies)