Trudy Doelman

A progress report on research into stone artefacts of the southern Arcadia Valley, central Queensland

Abstract We report on progress made to date on a collaborative project which aims to shed light on various aspects of lithic technology in the southern Arcadia Valley, central Queensland. Analysis of >4000 stone artefacts indicates that silcrete was an important lithic resource locally. Initial results from portable x-ray fluorescence analysis of a sample of artefacts suggests that this technique may be capable of characterising geochemical signatures for different silcrete sources. Gloss analysis suggests that 20–45% of the silcrete artefacts were heated prior to manufacture. Further use of this method, in combination with archaeomagnetism, is expected to provide more precise information about this practice.

Obsidian Traffic in the Southeast Papuan Islands

ABSTRACT Prehistoric obsidian samples from the Trobriand and the northern D’Entrecasteaux Islands are sourced by relative density and PIXE-PIGME to outcrops in the Fergusson Island area. Sites close to the western sources seem to have been supplied by them alone, whereas more distant sites were supplied by a mixture of sources in which the western Fergusson sources predominate over those from the eastern Fergusson area. The dominance of the western sources appears to have occurred because they provided the “best’’ obsidian in a utilitarian sense, whereas in the New Britain source area, social restriction mandated the use of particular source localities.

Innovations in Microblade Core Production at the Tigrovy-8 Late Palaeolithic Quarry in Eastern Russia

Abstract The importance of innovative behavior in highly resource-poor seasonal environments is highlighted by the flexible stone working technology at the Tigrovy-8 late Pleistocene basaltic glass quarry, recently discovered in the Primorye region of eastern Russia. Although risky, investing time and energy in developing new flaking techniques was particularly important in this setting, because multiple strategies could help prevent failure in acquiring adequate resources. Spatial differentiation in quarrying and artifact production was identified at Tigrovy-8. Variations in the cores and associated waste by-products show that innovative techniques were developed to convert small, tabular pieces of volcanic glass formed on the exteriors of pillow lavas into preformed microblade cores. Together with the development of these appropriate core preparation strategies, the exploitation of small outcrops of high quality raw material ensured predictable and secure supplies of the microblades necessary for effective hunting weapons.

Tool Time: The Influence of Tool Manufacture, Use, and Discard on the Formation and Composition of a Quarry assemblage

Abstract The analysis of Quarry 35, located in the arid zone of Australia, is used to gain an understanding of how and why tools were discarded at this location. This aim is achieved by focusing on the different processes of tool discard identified by Shott (1989) to contrast how curation and expediency contributed to the formation of a quarry assemblage. The results show that, although there is a continuum in the degree of retouch and hence their use-lives, most of the tools can be defined as expedient. At Quarry 35 Blade core preparation and the manufacture of blades account for the bulk of the assemblage, but the subsequent working of blanks into curated Blade tools had little impact on assemblage composition. Yet, it is these tool types that reflect the greatest amount of planning time and labour invested in their manufacture. Consequently, at Quarry 35 curation and expediency operate as dual, equally important, tool-using strategies employed by highly mobile hunter-gatherer groups to successfully organise their lithic technology.

REMAINS OF A PUZZLE: THE DISTRIBUTION OF VOLCANIC GLASS ARTIFACTS FROM SOURCES IN NORTHEAST CHINA AND FAR EAST RUSSIA

Abstract Previous geochemical studies of volcanic glass artifacts dating to the Late Palaeolithic in northeast Asia have revealed a wide distribution of artifacts from sources in China, Korea, and Far East Russia. Through an analysis of lithic technology, this study sheds new light on the variety and complexity of the social, technological, and landscape factors that shaped the long distance movement of stone artifacts.

A composite model of scraper variation: a case study from the Stud Creek catchment, northwest NSW

Abstract Morphological variation of scrapers from two artefact concentrations in the Stud Creek catchment, northwest New South Wales (NSW) is examined to investigate whether variation in retouch fits best with a segmented, continuum or composite model. Technological and typological analyses are used to characterise morphological variation. The results clearly show that a composite model, associated with a plurality in the purposes of retouching and in the nature of tool-use prior to discard, is applicable. We argue that the cautious use of typology, requiring phases of hypothesis development and testing, can play an important role in elucidating the nature of morphological variation.