William Andrefsky

Raw Material Availability and the Organization of Technology

Andrefsky, Jr., William. 1994 Raw Material Availability and the Organization of Technology. American Antiquity 59:21‑35.

Experimental and Archaeological Verification of an Index of Retouch for Hafted Bifaces

The relative amount of retouch on stone tools is central to many archaeological studies linking stone tool assemblages to broader issues of human social and economic land-use strategies. Unfortunately, most retouch measures deal with flake and blade tools and few (if any) have been developed for hafted bifaces and projectile points. This paper introduces a new index for measuring and comparing amount of retouch on hafted bifaces and projectile points that can be applied regardless of size or typological variance. The retouch index is assessed initially with an experimental data set of hafted bifaces that were dulled and resharpened on five occasions. The retouch index is then applied to a hafted biface assemblage made from tool stone that has been sourced by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). Results of both assessments show that the hafted biface retouch index (HRI) is effective for determining the amount of retouch and the degree to which the hafted bifaces have been curated.

Inferring Trends in Prehistoric Settlement Behavior from Lithic Production Technology In the Southern Plains

The character of prehistoric settlement with regard to degree of sedentism and mobility is not well understood in many areas of the southern Plains. This article explores lithic analytical approaches that are useful for making inferences regarding prehistoric settlement behavior. The analysis is applied to a data set from the southern Plains in an effort to characterize changing trends in settlement behavior from Paleoindian times to late prehistoric times.

A Consideration of Blade and Flake Curvature

AbstractA method for characterizing blade and flake curvature is introduced and discussed in the context of broader prehistoric behavioral interpretation. The curvature value begins with interval measurements: angle length, angle depth, and thickness at midpoint. Each of these terms are described and techniques for obtaining each are discussed. From these, simple Euclidean geometry is used to derive an overall curvature value. Brief examples of how curvature is used for descriptive and problem oriented studies are introduced, and an example of the curvature measurement is then demonstrated on a population of flakes recovered from the production of triangular projectile points. The paper concludes with a discussion of fracture mechanics focusing on how and why curvature occurs on flakes and blades.

Cascade phase lithic technology : an example from the lower snake river

Chipped stone artifact data from several Cascade phase sites located on the lower Snake River are analyzed to evaluate lithic technological characteristics of the early Cascade phase. Interpretations based upon the stone tool assemblages suggest traditional generalizations about the early Cascade phase require some rethinking. Specifically, tool type and debitage type analysis indicate that early Cascade phase settlement organization was not necessarily oriented to a local riverine setting, rather, early Cascade phase populations were highly mobile and visited major river drainages during only part of an annual cycle. Analysis of lithic raw material shows that early Cascade phase populations prefer nonlocally available cryptocrystalline cherts and fine grained basalt for production of refined tools such as projectile points and that locally available coarse grained basalts were primarily used to make nonportable situational gear.

Lithic Technology: Perforation with Stone Tools and Retouch Intensity: A Neolithic Case Study

A measure of retouch intensity, the EKCI, was devised based upon function and archaeological context. To arrive at the function of PrePottery Neolithic A el-Khiam points from the Near East, controlled experiments were performed to determine the relative density of the contact material, which could affect use and retouch patterns. It was shown that el-Khiam points were likely used to pierce and scrape soft materials such as leather. The EKCI was then devised, measured, and tested. Experimental replication showed that the EKCI was an accurate measure of retouch intensity, and application of the EKCI to the lithic assemblage at Dhra’ reaffirmed the EKCI’s utility for analyzing PPNA archaeological assemblages. Although this curation index is effective for el-Khiam points, it may not be applicable to other hafted point types, which highlights the need for independently developed measures of retouch that account for the form, function, and context of the artifacts rather than attempting to generate universal measures of curation.

Numerical Types and Inspectional Types: Evaluating Shape Characterization Procedures

Projectile point data are used in testing and evaluating various numerical shape classification procedures. Inspectional point types play the role of a control population while clustering algorithms, attribute section, and standardization techniques are tested. The most effective numerical procedure identified for the classification of projectile point form is a combination of k-means analysis, ratio scale measurements between attributes, and standardization of interval measures to a mean of zero and standard deviation of one.

Debitage Stylistic Variability at Cox Ranch Pueblo

Abstract This paper applies the method of stylistic flake analysis of to the analysis of debitage from two middens from Cox Ranch Pueblo, a late Pueblo II (ca. 1050–1130) period habitation site in west-central New Mexico. Previous research has suggested the multiethnic nature of site occupation based on the presence of two distinct methods for the manufacture of utilitarian ceramics and the sites location at the interface of two of the Southwests traditional culture areas. This study samples debitage from two of the largest middens, each associated with a residential roomblock at the site, to determine if any of the stylistic trends found among the ceramic artifacts could be detected within the debitage from the site. Results show that there are in fact two different styles of flint knapping at the site, though both styles are present within each of the two midden assemblages. It is concluded that these two stylistic groups may relate to the two ethnic groups suggested to have co-resided at the site.

LITHICS | Analysis, Use Wear

Lithic analysis deals with human produced tools and debitage made from stone. Lithic analysts study stone tools and debitage to help infer past human behaviors associated with such artifacts. This paper calls for replicable techniques and methods of stone tool and debitage analysis. A number of analytical techniques are demonstrated but the emphasis of the paper is more upon the logic behind the choice of various analytical methods and less upon detailing specific analytical techniques. It is suggested that lithic analysis begin with a gross description of the assemblage based upon types that are defined in a mutually exclusive manner, so that they can be recognized by other researchers. Further, the analysis of lithic artifacts should be guided by questions posed by the researcher. By way of reviewing analytical techniques it is shown that debitage is intimately linked to both tool production and tool use, and that the analysis of tools and debitage should produce complementary and corroborating results. The review provides a logical foundation for lithic analysis and describes basic concepts and techniques of lithic analysis, within a context of problem oriented research questions.