Stone tools in the Paleolithic and Neolithic Near East: a guide

Abstract

LITHICS BASICSArchaeologists utilize four main sources of information about how stone tools were made and used.These include mechanical studies, experimental archaeology, ethnoarchaeology, and contextual clues from the archaeological record.Mechanical studies investigate the specific physical processes involved in tool production and wear.Experimental archaeology attempts to reproduce prehistoric tools and tool uses under controlled conditions.Ethnoarchaeology develops models for archaeological lithic variability by studying stone tool use by contemporary humans.Finally, contextual clues are patterns of association among stone tools and other residues in the archaeological record.This chapter pulls together insights from these sources to provide a basic introduction to lithic technology.It reviews the main descriptive categories of stone tools and their higher-order groupings as recognized by archaeologists.It also provides a brief overview of the major interpretive concepts in lithic analysis.

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