"In archaeology, lithic analysis is the analysis of stone tools and other chipped stone artifacts using basic scientific techniques."
The study of stone tools and lithic technology.
Stone tool technology: A study of the various manufacturing techniques, raw materials, shapes and sizes, use-wear, and terminology related to lithic artifacts.
Lithic typology: The grouping and classification of stone tools based on specific characteristics such as size, shape, and function.
Raw material sourcing: The identification of the geographical origin of the raw materials used in manufacturing lithic artifacts, using techniques such as petrography, geochemistry, and geology.
Flake analysis: The investigation of the properties of the flakes removed from the lithic materials, such as flake size, shape, and morphology, to identify potential factors contributing to variations in the artifacts.
Lithic microwear analysis: The study of the microscopic wear patterns on the surface of lithic artifacts to determine their use and function.
Technological analysis: A study of the manufacturing techniques employed, including sequence of operations, tool selection, and sequence of tool preparation.
Experimental archaeology: A research method in which archaeologists attempt to replicate ancient manufacturing techniques, tool use, and wear patterns to better understand the function of lithic artifacts.
Contextual significance: How different lithic artifacts relate to each other and to the surrounding archaeological context, such as the types of stone used and tools found at a site, and how this can reveal information about the past culture of the area.
Functionality of tools: Understanding how lithic artifacts were used in different contexts, such as hunting, food processing, or warfare.
Cultural significance: Examining the social and cultural aspects of lithic production, such as how it evolved over time, how it was passed down through generations and how access to certain types of materials influenced it.
Typological analysis: This type of analysis is based on the classification of stone tools into types based on their form, function, and physical attributes. This analysis helps archaeologists to understand the temporal and spatial variation in stone tool traditions.
Technological analysis: This type of analysis focuses on the manufacturing techniques and technology used to produce stone tools. By studying the manufacturing process, archaeologists can identify the raw materials used, the tools used for production, and the sequence of operations involved.
Use-wear analysis: This type of analysis is based on the examination of the microscopic damage on the surface of the stone tool, which provides information on the way the tool was used. By identifying the wear patterns, archaeologists can determine the activities associated with the use of stone tools.
Residue analysis: This type of analysis involves the identification and analysis of organic residues found on the surface of stone tools. By identifying the residues, archaeologists can determine the function of the stone tool, such as whether it was used for cutting meat, scraping hides, or grinding seeds.
"lithic analyses involve an analysis of the artifact's Morphology (archaeology), the measurement of various physical attributes, and examining other visible features."
"examining other visible features (such as noting the presence or absence of cortex, for example)."
"The term 'lithic analysis' can technically refer to the study of any anthropogenic (human-created) stone, but in its usual sense, it is applied to archaeological material that was produced through lithic reduction (knapping) or ground stone."
"A thorough understanding of the lithic reduction and ground stone processes, in combination with the use of statistics, can allow the analyst to draw conclusions concerning the type of lithic manufacturing techniques used at a prehistoric archaeological site."
"These data can then be used to draw an understanding of socioeconomic and cultural organization."
"The term knapped is synonymous with 'chipped' or 'struck', but is preferred by some analysts because it signifies intentionality and process."
"Ground stone generally refers to any tool made by a combination of flaking, pecking, pounding, grinding, drilling, and incising."
"mortars/metates, pestles (or manos), grinding slabs, hammerstones, grooved and perforated stones, axes, etc."
"Among the tool types analyzed are projectile points, bifaces, unifaces, ground stone artifacts, and lithic reduction by-products (debitage) such as flakes and cores."
"For example, they can make certain equation between each the factors of flake to predict the original shape."
"A thorough understanding of the lithic reduction and ground stone processes, in combination with the use of statistics, can allow the analyst to draw conclusions concerning the type of lithic manufacturing techniques used."
"These data can then be used to draw an understanding of socioeconomic and cultural organization."
"The term knapped is preferred by some analysts because it signifies intentionality and process."
"Ground stone generally refers to any tool made by a combination of flaking, pecking, pounding, grinding, drilling, and incising."
"[It] includes things such as mortars/metates, pestles (or manos), grinding slabs, hammerstones, grooved and perforated stones, axes, etc."
"Among the tool types analyzed are projectile points, bifaces, unifaces, ground stone artifacts, and lithic reduction by-products (debitage) such as flakes and cores."
"A thorough understanding of the lithic reduction and ground stone processes, in combination with the use of statistics, can allow the analyst to draw conclusions concerning the type of lithic manufacturing techniques used."
"A thorough understanding of the lithic reduction and ground stone processes, in combination with the use of statistics, can allow the analyst to draw conclusions concerning the type of lithic manufacturing techniques used."
"These data can then be used to draw an understanding of socioeconomic and cultural organization."