This study represents the first of its kind to examine an extensive lithic debitage assemblage from a Late Dorset inland occupation. The assemblage derives from an isolated Late Dorset component at the LdFa-1 site, located along the northwest shore of Mingo Lake in the deep interior of southern Baffin Island. A study sample of 7,479 lithic debitage is systematically drawn and analyzed using two methodological approaches: individual attribute analysis and mass analysis. Patterns of variability derived from the analysis are isolated and interpreted within a technological organizational framework to identify Late Dorset lithic reduction and use strategies at the site. Using a multi-scalar approach, these results are then compared to those obtained from two inland Pre-Dorset sites, known as Sandy Point (LlDv-10) and Mosquito Ridge (MaDv-11) to draw some conclusions about how Palaeo-Eskimo populations more broadly organized their lithic technologies and used this terrestrial landscape over time.

This study represents the first of its kind to examine an extensive lithic debitage assemblage from a Late Dorset inland occupation. The assemblage derives from an isolated Late Dorset component at the LdFa-1 site, located along the northwest shore of Mingo Lake in the deep interior of southern Baffin Island. A study sample of 7,479 lithic debitage is systematically drawn and analyzed using two methodological approaches: individual attribute analysis and mass analysis. Patterns of variability derived from the analysis are isolated and interpreted within a technological organizational framework to identify Late Dorset lithic reduction and use strategies at the site. Using a multi-scalar approach, these results are then compared to those obtained from two inland Pre-Dorset sites, known as Sandy Point (LlDv-10) and Mosquito Ridge (MaDv-11) to draw some conclusions about how Palaeo-Eskimo populations more broadly organized their lithic technologies and used this terrestrial landscape over time.

This thesis presents a lithic attribute and geochemical analysis of the lithic material recovered from coastal site of Fatumafuti, on Tutuila Island, in the Samoan archipelago during 1050-520 BP. The goal of this thesis is to clarify the nature of stone tool production and to add to our current understanding of the cultural transformations from Lapita to a Polynesian identity. To complete this goal four research questions are addressed. What is the stage of reduction (cha ne operatoire) at Fatumafuti? Does the assemblage vary over space and time? Where did the source material come from? And, what was the organization of lithic craft production? Specifically, is there evidence for specialization? The lithics at Fatumafuti contain multiple segments in the technical sequence of tool manufacture (cha ne operatoire). The two major segments are middle stage and late stage reduction, and two minor segments are early stage reduction and tool rejuvenation. Expedient tools found on site indicate that prehistoric groups did not rely on a completely curated technology. Tool manufacture was geared toward producing a variety of tools, as opposed to a specific product. Production was most intense towards the coastal portion of the site during the earlier cultural component and then shifted towards the talus base during the later cultural component. Using non-destructive Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF), elemental concentrations were analyzed and compared to those of Tataga-matau, Lau?agae, Asiapa and Alega. One, possibly two, sources were utilized at this site; however, they are not chemically similar to Tatagamatau, Lau'agae, Asiapa and Alega. I conclude that people of Fatumafuti practiced independent household production at the end of the Aceramic and beginning of the Recent period. Either the intensification of lithic craft production that is seen during the height of complex chiefdoms is not seen at Fatumafuti, or these social transformations had not yet taken hold. With more cases that date to this time, we may find that Samoan chiefdoms had not attained full complexity at this point.

This thesis presents the results from archaeological test excavations at site 5GN1.2. The focus of this research is to evaluate Stiger's Late Prehistoric settlement-subsistence hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, post-3000 B.P. occupations of the Upper Gunnison Basin were limited to logistically organized big-game hunting forays originating from residential camps located outside of the basin. Since Stiger's model is based on Binford's forager-collector continuum model, archaeological test implications of his hypothesis include hunter-gatherer settlement mobility, site types, feature types, artifact assemblage characteristics, and the organization of lithic technology. Test excavations at 5GN1.2 revealed intact archaeological deposits reflecting aboriginal occupation during the Late Prehistoric between about 3000 and 1300 B.P. Late Prehistoric features include four hearths associated with abundant debitage, small-game faunal remains, burnt seeds, and lithic tools. Identified lithic tools include ground stone, projectile point fragments, cores, and bifaces. Individual flake attribute analysis of the debitage assemblage provides evidence lithic reduction activities were dominated by bifacial reduction of local and non-local raw materials. Archaeological evidence rules out site 5GN1.2 as a Late Prehistoric logistical big-game hunting site. Site 5GN1.2 contains all the hallmarks of a residential base camp, including constructed hearths, rock art, evidence of plant resource processing, small-game procurement, comparatively high tool diversity, high proportion of locally available tool-stone, late-stage tool manufacture, and tool maintenance debitage. Site 5GN1.2 likely served as a short-term residential base camp occupied by whole family groups during the Late Prehistoric. The Late Prehistoric occupations of site 5GN1.2 represent a more diverse settlement-subsistence adaptation than envisioned by Stiger's culture history. Some hunter-gatherers may have occupied the UGB on long-range logistical big-game hunting forays, but at 5GN1.2 this is simply not the case. This lithic technology research project represents the first published comprehensive debitage analysis of an archaeological component at 5GN1.2 and 5GN1. These results and data can serve as a database for later archaeological research within the UGB.

En Méditerranée occidentale, l’obsidienne a été dès le début du Néolithique une matière première recherchée en raison de sa grande aptitude à la taille. Originaire d’îles de la zone tyrrhénienne (Sardaigne, Pantelleria, Lipari et Palmarola) elle a circulé dans cette région et elle est considérée comme un important marqueur culturel de diverses formes de communication et d'échanges entre les différentes communautés de la Préhistoire récente. En ce qui concerne la Sardaigne, nous disposons aujourd'hui d'une cartographie des dépôts primaires et secondaires de quatre types d’obsidienne du Monte Arci et il est donc possible de mieux comprendre les systèmes d'approvisionnement de cette matière première dans l'Île et dans le secteur nord-tyrrhénien de la Méditerranée occidentale, zone de diffusion majeure de l'obsidienne sarde. En raison de ses propriétés physiques, l'obsidienne est une roche très apte à la taille et qui enregistre de manière optimale les stigmates de taille. L’objectif de la thèse a consisté essentiellement en l’'analyse d'un référentiel expérimental en obsidienne réalisé par différents tailleurs avec différentes techniques (percussion directe, indirecte et pression). Cette étude a permis de reconnaitre les caractères morphométriques et les stigmates techniques, essentiels pour la discrimination des techniques de débitage, surtout quand elles donnent de pièces ambigües, compatibles avec plusieurs techniques. Elle a aussi permis de comprendre les différences avec le débitage sur silex, à partir de données connues dans la littérature. Sur cette base nous avons fait un premier essai de diagnose technique sur une série en obsidienne (sarde) d'un site du Néolithique sarde ayant livré un mobilier très abondant, avec plusieurs chaînes opératoires et techniques mises en œuvre. / In the western Mediterranean, obsidian is a demanded raw-material since the earliest phases of the Neolithic due to its good knappability. Its main sources are located in the tyrrhenian islands (Sardinia, Pantelleria, Lipari, and Palmarola); obsidian goods have been circulating in the region and they are considered a significant cultural marker of different forms of exchange and interaction networks between prehistoric groups. For what concerns Sardinia, nowadays four different types of both primary and secondary obsidian deposits from Monte Arci are known. It is therefore possible to better understand the exploitation system of this raw-material in Sardinia and in the north-tyrrhenian sector of the western Mediterranean, which roughly corresponds to its main area of diffusion. Due to its physical characteristics, obsidian is extremely suitable for knapping and it bears a detailed record of the knapping stigmata. b The heart of this thesis consists of the analysis of an obsidian reference collection made by different knappers with different techniques(direct, indirect percussion, and pressure). As result, it has been possible to identify the morphometric characters and the technical stigmata associated with each one of the considered techniques. This represents an essential information in order to recognize the different techniques of obsidian débitage used in Prehistory, especially because resulting blanks are often characterize by ambiguous traits, compatible with different techniques. In addition, this study has allowed to understand the differences between obsidian and chert knapping, thanks to the integration of the data available from literature. On these basis, a first technological analysis of an archaeological obsidian collection from Sardinia has been carried out, choosing a Neolithic site (Coddu is Abionis, Terralba, Or) characterized by an abundant assemblage and a diversity of chaînes opératoires and techniques.

This thesis focuses on the distribution of prehistoric artifacts in Blackford County that were recovered during the course of two Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) Grants: FY 2011 HPF Grant # 31921-4 and FY 2012 HPF Grant # 18-12-41921-3. The research led to the discovery of 466 archaeological sites, but the focus of this thesis is not on the sites per se, but on the distribution of the prehistoric artifacts and an analysis of the associated behaviors. The basic question underlying this thesis is: (1) What is the distribution of human activity on the landscape of Blackford County? The related and subsidiary questions are: (2) How was the landscape being used in prehistoric times? (2a) What kinds of artifacts are found in association with others? The distribution of behaviors on the landscape may be determined by the association or disassociation of certain artifacts. (2b) What was the distance to water for all of these sites? Distance to water is important to measure because it indicates a basic necessity and it may be revealed through this analysis that certain behaviors are either closer or further from water sources. (2c) Are certain types of artifacts/behaviors associated with certain types of soils? (2d) Based on the distribution and morphology of lithic debitage, what can be said about cultural behaviors? The primary methods used in this thesis are a comprehensive metrical and morphological analysis of all prehistoric artifacts, GIS analysis of the distribution of these artifacts within their artifact types, and statistical analyses based on the GIS analysis looking for correlation and divergence among all of the artifacts. The resulting research from this thesis will greatly contribute to the knowledge of the Tipton Till Plain archaeology and further refine our understanding of the distribution of artifacts on the landscape of Blackford County, Indiana. The results indicate that the Mississinewa watershed was a persistently used area for residential activities and that the Salamonie watershed was repeatedly used as an area for resource extraction activities. / Department of Anthropology

Les industries laminaire du Néolithique précéramique sont caractérisées par deux systèmes de débitage laminaire : le système unipolaire et le système bipolaire. Cette étude s’intéresse aux débitages laminaires unipolaires et leur évolution. L’analyse du matériel provenant de quatre sites syriens a permis de redéfinir les débitages unipolaires et de les classer en deux systèmes distincts : le débitage strictement unipolaire et le débitage à gestion unipolaire. Cette distinction est basée sur les principes d’exploitation, les modalités et les techniques de taille des deux systèmes, ainsi que sur des expérimentations de taille originales. Il en ressort aussi que les débitages unipolaire sont des systèmes techniques qui relèvent à la fois de connaissance et de savoir-faire et non pas des systèmes expédients. Le matériel du site PPNA de Wadi Tumbaq 3 en Syrie centrale relève d’une évolution des débitages laminaires différente de celle connue pour les trois autres sites néolithiques du Moyen-Euphrate : Tell Aber 3, Cheikh Hassan et Mureybet. L’évolution des débitages laminaires établie à partir des industries lithiques datées et bien analysées, et généralisée pour l’ensemble du Levant, n’est ainsi caractéristique que de certaines régions du territoire. / Two main debitage systems are known in the northern Levant during the aceramic Neolithic: unidirectional and bidirectional debitage. This study focuses on unidirectional debitages and their evolution. Material analysis from four sites in Syria allowed redefining unidirectional debitage and distinguishing between two different systems: strictly unidirectional debitage and optional unidirectional debitage. These two systems are distinguished on the basis of reconstituted knapping techniques and strategies, as well as experimental knapping. The technical complexity characterizing unidirectional debitage indicates highly-skilled knappers and not expedient knapping. Ananlysis of the material from Wadi Tumbaq 3 (PPNA) in central Syria indicates for these knapping techniques a different model of evolution from that known at Tell Aber 3, Cheikh Hassan and Mureybet in the middle Euphrates valley. Therefore, it appears that the pattern of evolution reconstructed on the basis of well analyzed and dated lithic industries, untill now applied to the whole of Levant, is only a regional phenomenon.

The Land Hill and Hidden Hills study areas were the site of the 2006 and 2007 Brigham Young University's archaeological field schools. The two study areas are located in contrasting environments; the Land Hill area is located along the Santa Clara River in southwestern Utah, and the Hidden Hills area was is located on the Shivwits Plateau in northwestern Arizona. The Land Hill study area is located within a well-watered environment which would support a primarily horticultural lifestyle. The Hidden Hills study area is located in an arid environment without permanent streams which would support a more mobile hunting lifestyle. The contrasting environments of these two study areas allowed for a study of the similarities and differences in the use of stone tools. Based on the results of the analysis and comparison of the stone tool and debitage assemblages, from sites in both areas throughout time, suggests that the people in the Land Hills study area actually seemed to be living a lifestyle similar to the people in the Hidden Hills area.

This dissertation focuses on two portions of the Clovis lithic assemblage recovered from Excavation Area 8 at the Gault site (41BL323) located in central Texas. Gault is a quarry-camp visited by hunter-gatherer groups for at least 13,000 years, with Paleoindian, Archaic, and Late Prehistoric occupations. Freshwater seep springs, a diverse array of floral and faunal resources, and an abundant outcrop of high-quality toolstone at the site created an ideal location for people who lived a mobile hunting-andgathering way of life. The site is currently the only locale with two stratigraphically separate Clovis components-a lower geologic unit designated 3a and an upper unit designated 3b. Both are represented in Excavation Area 8 where, in the spring of 2000, Texas A&M University (TAMU) excavated 22 1-m2 contiguous units. For this research, 3375 complete flakes were analyzed individually to characterize Clovis debitage as represented at Excavation Area 8 and to establish if there are technological differences between the debitage assemblages recovered from Units 3a and 3b. The two Clovis components are quite similar from a technological standpoint. Minor differences appear to be related to site formation processes and intensity of site use. The second objective was to determine if Clovis debitage has diagnostic technological traits that allow confident assignment to the Clovis era. To test whether Clovis debitage is distinctive, it was compared to debitage recovered from later cultural components at the site. No evidence of a true blade technology was observed in the post- Clovis Paleoindian or Early Archaic debitage assemblages, although biface manufacture continued through time. Technologically, few differences were observed between the Clovis, post-Clovis Paleoindian, and Early Archaic debitage related to biface reduction. While overshot flakes may be diagnostic of Clovis biface technology, biface thinning flakes and other non-distinctive debitage showed few differences between components. During debitage analysis pieces were selected in an attempt to identify edgemodified tools. Low- and high-power usewear analysis was employed to make determinations concerning the cultural modification or use of flakes. This study concluded post-depositional damage affected most of the collection and there was minimal usewear-or minimal observable usewear-on flakes. Taphonomic processes interfered to a great extent with drawing firm inferences on tool use and possibly hindered the identification of tools. Of the 3375 pieces of Clovis debitage originally analyzed, 26 specimens were classified as tools based mainly on invasive, patterned flaking with less reliance on microscopic use indicators. Of these, inference of use was assigned to nine tools.

The research presented in this thesis examines a lithic assemblage from the multi-component habitation site Gorelyi Les in the Belaia river valley, Cis-Baikal region, Siberia. The distinctive traits of this collection are the relatively small size of the lithic assemblage and the large proportion of debitage. The chosen methodological framework for this research concentrates on obtaining maximum information from the available materials through application of typological, technological, use-wear, and spatial analyses. The results suggest that there were differences in the organization of the technological process of lithic tool manufacture during the Early Neolithic and Late Neolithic. During the Early Neolithic, lithic tool manufacture and use were rather intensive and diversified, while during the Late Neolithic, tool manufacture and use were limited to a narrower range of technological operations and functions.