Thesis (M.A.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Anthropology Department, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Microlith production is a distinctive and significant stone tool technology. However, inter-regional comparative analyses of microlithic industries are rare, and have tended to homogenise these industries by focussing analytical attention on retouched tool typologies alone. This thesis provides the first demonstration and exploration of variability in two of the earliest microlithic industries in the world - the Howiesons Poort of southern Africa and the Late Palaeolithic of South Asia. Analysis of this variation has implications for the long-standing debates concerning modern human behaviour and dispersals. In order to assess variability in underlying technological processes and manufacturing trajectories, detailed attribute analyses were conducted on lithic assemblages. Metric and qualitative variables were recorded on cores, debitage and tools from three southern African Howiesons Poort sites (Rose Cottage Cave and Umhlatuzana, South Africa, and Ntloana Tsoana, Lesotho) and four South Asian Late Palaeolithic sites (Batadomba-lena and Kitulgala Beli-lena, Sri Lanka, and Patne and Jwalapuram 9, India). Analysis of the results reveals variability within sites, over time, and between sites and regions, demonstrating that microlith production is not a homogenous technology. Underlying technological processes are shown to differ more between regions than do retouched tool forms. It is argued that this pattern is more parsimoniously explained by independent innovation of microlithic technology situated within local lithic traditions, rather than by cultural diffusion. Additionally, the exploration of variability in microlithic assemblages highlights the benefits of using a methodological approach to the modern human behaviour debate which focusses on technological variability rather than the presence of particular tool types. It is this behavioural and technological variability that is key to understanding our species.

No description available.

The study of core reduction, or how little raw material was transformed into flakes which could be used for tools, is fundamental to the interpretation of most archaeological lithic assemblages. A distinction can be made in this regard between the "manner" of core reduction, or the mechanics of flake removal, and the "method" of its reduction, which focuses upon the sequence of core preparation and tool blank production. The emphasis in current lithic studies has been upon the former aspect of the core reduction process. Evidence for the method of flaking cores in prehistory has not been as widely or thoughtfully addressed and, consequently, a comprehensive theory and methodology for its study is lacking. This dissertation addresses itself to the problems of reconstructing core reduction sequences from archaeological assemblages of chipped stone. It introduces the theoretical background and associated methodology that is necessary to approach the study of the method of core reduction, without the aid of backfitting or the assumptions involved in replicative studies. This approach is based not only on the cores discarded after reduction but also on an interpretation of those features of the flakes that can inform upon their role and place in the core reduction sequence. The potential of the method is assessed through an analysis of blank production at several Middle Paleolithic sites in Northern Bosnia, Yugoslavia. Of these, the sites of Zobiste and Visoko Brdo form the basis of an interpretation of the core reduction strategies practiced in this area during the early Upper Pleistocene. This strategy is shown to be a result of the varying interaction between the nature of the raw material source, the intent of the knapper, and the principles of the lithic reduction process itself. The new data presented and the perspective achieved from the study of the core reduction sequence will be useful for future studies of the Middle Paleolithic in this area and in the comparison of these industries with other regions of the Old World.

No description available.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 2016. / This study is within the context of the Howiesons Poort Industry of the Middle Stone Age. This is a dynamic period of increasing behavioural and material complexity. In the lithic assembles, this can be seen in a strong bias towards the selection of high-quality fine-grained rocks. This has often been interpreted as evidence for long distance travel, reciprocal exchange, or even increased mobility. This study aims to determine what influence the mechanical properties of rock types exerted on the Middle Stone Age assemblages at Sibudu. This requires a consideration of the distribution of rock types across the landscape surrounding Sibudu Cave. The study was limited to hornfels and dolerite as these rock types dominate the Sibudu assemblage, and quartz and quartzite that were sometimes used at the site are exceedingly difficult to collect in large enough sample sizes to conduct experiments. It was important to carry out tests on the mechanical properties of hornfels and dolerite and to characterise them. Hardness, roughness, elasticity and brittleness dictate the ease of knapping as well as the durability of flaked tools and these rock properties can be measured by the mechanical tests described here. To understand how these properties affect the assemblage in practice, dolerite and hornfels flakes were produced and used experimentally for cutting and scraping leather. The edge damage produced was compared. Finally, preliminary analysis was undertaken of square C4, layer PGS, which forms part of the oldest Howiesons Poort layer at Sibudu. The information and insights gained from the mechanical tests and experimental work were used to interpret the role of mechanical properties for the archaeological sample of PGS. The results show that all rocks used at Sibudu are local, and do not support any models of long distance travel/trade, reciprocal exchange, or models of increased mobility. Dolerite and hornfels form the bulk of the assemblage at all times (except briefly in the post-Howiesons Poort), and there is a bias towards the selection of fine-grained rocks during the Howiesons Poort. Dolerite can be characterised as hard, tough, elastic, and rough, while hornfels is hard, brittle, and fine-grained. These properties affect knapping and the qualities of a tool’s edge. The properties of hornfels allow for knapping accuracy and predictability, and it is better suited to blade production and cutting. However, tool edges are not robust. Dolerite is not as easy to knap, but produces tools with a robust edge that are particularly suited to scraping. Each rock type appears to have fulfilled a different function at Sibudu. Most rock studies geochemically source rocks, establish models of rock procurement or show trends in rock selection for artefact classes. Mechanical studies of rocks have typically formed part of heat treatment debates (Brown et al 2009; Domanski & Webb 1992, 1994; Webb & Domanski 2008). Through the combined approach of mechanical testing, experimental knapping and tool use, and lithic analysis, this research provides a context for possible rock procurement choices at a time in the past when many African sites reveal a changing pattern of rock selection. / LG2017

The prehistory of Central Oregon is explored through the examination of six archaeological sites and two isolated finds from the Upper Deschutes River Basin. Inquiry focuses on the land use, mobility, technological organization, and raw material procurement of the aboriginal inhabitants of the area. Archaeological data presented here are augmented with ethnographic accounts to inform interpretations. Eight stone tool assemblages and three debitage assemblages are analyzed in order to characterize technological organization. Diagnostic projectile points recovered from the study sites indicate the area was seasonally utilized prior to the eruption of ancient Mt. Mazama (>6,845 BP), and continuing until the Historic period (c. 1850). While there is evidence of human occupation at the study sites dating to between >7,000-150 B.P., the range of activities and intensity of occupation varied. Source characterization analysis indicates that eight different Central Oregon obsidian sources are represented at the sites. Results of the lithic analysis are presented in light of past environmental and social phenomena including volcanic eruptions, climate change, and human population movements. Chapter One introduces the key questions that directed the inquiry and defines the theoretical perspective used. Chapter Two describes the modem and ancient environmental context of study area. Topics of discussion include physiography, fauna, vegetation, geology, and climate. Chapter Three introduces the aboriginal inhabitants of the Upper Deschutes River Basin and summarizes past archeological investigations in the area. Hunter-gatherer land use and lithic technology are discussed in Chapter Four. The methods used to collect and analyze the data used in this study are presented in Chapter Five. Chapter Six summarizes the results of the technological lithic analysis and geochemical sourcing. The final chapter, Discussion and Conclusions, interprets the results with respect to cultural chronology, site function and distribution, land use and mobility, lithic technology, and raw material procurement. / Graduation date: 2003

The Quartz Mountain Obsidian Quarry is located in the Southeast corner of the Bend Fort Rock Ranger District in central Oregon, approximately forty-five miles southeast of Bend, Oregon. The research of the Quartz Mountain Obsidian Quarry began with a literature search of other quarry sites in the area and the use of aerial photos to determine the survey area. After the survey area was established a ground survey was conducted. Following the survey several key areas were chosen for surface collections that could answer key questions: What types of core reductions were being used on Quartz Mountain?; and What types of materials were being utilized? (red/black obsidian found in rhyolite veins, red/black obsidian found in fist sized and larger nodule form, or large block black obsidian). In order to answer these questions three collection units were established. The lithic material from the units was collected and analyzed and the information placed into a database, which was then grouped for statistical analysis, and generated into charts and tables. The resulting data was then compared to the information found from an extensive literature search to see how the material that I collected compared to those found at other quarry sites. From this information I was able to determine that two different core reduction methods were being used on Quartz Mountain: blade core and bifacial core. Along with the different core reduction methods a mobility strategy also came into play. In this thesis I will use the data gathered to determine the different core reduction methods and the mobility strategies that are associated with them. / Graduation date: 1998

Thesis (M.A. in anthropology)--Washington State University, May 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-133).

No description available.