Sourcing archaeological lithic assemblages : new perspectives and integrated approaches / edited by Charles A. Speer, Ryan M. Parish, and Gustavo Barrientos.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Speer, Charles A., editor, contributor.

Parish, Ryan M., editor, contributor.

Barrientos, Gustavo E., editor, contributor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Stone implements--Analysis.

Stone implements.

Archaeological assemblages.

Physical Description:

ix, 236 pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City : University of Utah Press, [2023]

Summary:

For most of our existence, humans have manipulated stone into tools that are essential for survival. Generally resistant to degradation, stone tools comprise a large portion of the material culture found at archaeological sites worldwide. Recovery of stone tools during archaeological excavation indicates the points where they were discarded, often tied to where they were used. "Sourcing" refers to attempts to determine the origin of the raw materials used to produce these tools. Knowing the beginning and end points of a tool's use-life, as well as the likely paths it took between those two locations, can offer insight into trade and procurement patterns. The scholars gathered in this volume employ a variety of approaches to real-life contexts in multiple geographic regions. Their studies illustrate the numerous, robust options available to archaeologists and researchers today, as well as the problems that must be faced and resolved. Part 1 of the book explores technological approaches to sourcing in conjunction with innovative survey strategies. Each of these chapters describes a particular sourcing method, frequently offering suggestions for improving the associated chemical analysis. Part 2 focuses on region-specific and methodological sourcing applications. In his conclusion, Michael D. Glascock assesses each of the chapters and presents his views, developed across 40 years of work in the field, on sourcing raw materials. Broadly, these contributions demonstrate how knowledge of lithic sources, geologic processes, the nature of variation, and regional availablility can provide a more thorough understanding of past peoples--back cover.

Contents:

1. Introduction: Sourcing archaeological lithic assemblages / Charles A. Speer, Ryan M. Parish, and Gustavo Barrientos

Part 1: Variations on a theme: Sourcing toolstone through qualitative and quantitative methods : 2. The use of provenience data to formulate or test provenance hypotheses: GIS-based models for the identification of probable chert silíceo source areas in East-Central Argentina / Luciana Catella, Gustavo Barrientos, Norberto Uriz, Gabriela Coelho Dos Santos, and Fernando Oliva

3. Nodules in a haystack: tracing lithic raw material sources in the Atacama Desert / César I. Borie, César Parcero-Oubiña, Ryan Parish, Diego R. Salazar, Carola F. Flores, Laura A. Olguín, Pedro M. Andrade, and Ximena M. Power

4. Targeting coastal plains chert in the Wacissa quarry cluster, Northwest Florida, USA: a lidar-based geomorphic model for locating terrestrial chert quarries / Adam M. Burke and Morgan F. Smith

5. Sourcing stone and ochre artifacts: a review of why it matters in Australia (and beyond) / Kane Ditchfield, Jillian Huntley, Ingrid Ward, John Webb, Trudy Doelman, and Rebekah Kurpiel

6. The promise and challenge of sourcing chert artifacts in the North American Great Basin / Khori Newlander

7. Sourcing chert mortuary bifaces as indicators for Hopewell community participation at the Crib Mound site, Indiana, USA / Ryan M. Parish and Bretton T. Giles

8. Applying ED-XRF, LA-ICP-MS, and PIXE analyses to characterize Pyrenean cherts: potentials and limitations / Marta Sánchez de la Torre, Franc̦ois-Xavier le Bourdonnec, Stéphan Dubernet, and Bernard Gratuze

9. Pilot study in nodular elemental variation / Charles A. Speer

Part 2: Regional perspectives and sourcing under variable conditions : 10. Raw material procurement and territorial mobility in the Aïn Beni Mathar-Guefaït Region (Eastern Morocco) / María Soto, M. Gema Chacón, Hassan Aouraghe, Juan Ignacio Morales, Hamid Haddoumi, Mohamed Southir, Alfonso Benito-Calvo, Andoni Tarriño, Said Bengamra, and Robert Sala-Ramos

11. Black obsidian from Pampa del Asador (Santa Cruz, Patagonia, Argentina): a regional source / Gisela Cassiodoro, Rafael Goñi, Silvana Espinosa, Agustín Castro Esnal, Cecilia Pérez de Micou, and Charles R. Stern

13. Geology and geochemistry of the Ledge Ridge chert source, Western Maine / Adrian L. Burke

14. Sourcing archaeological lithic assemblages: new perspectives and integrated approaches / Michael D. Glascock.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 181-229) and index.

ISBN:

9781647691080

1647691087

OCLC:

1348390970