ANT 304 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Experimental Archaeology, Stone Tool, Metalworking
Document Summary
Most stone tools are made by removing material from a pebble or core until the desired shape has been attained. As time went on, techniques become more complex and created new tools. Two approaches to reconstruct the sequence of manufacturing - replication and refitting. Replication cannot usually prove conclusively which techniques were used in the past, but it does narrow the possibilities and often points to the most likely method. Refitting, on the other hand, involves working with the original tools and demonstrates clearly the precise chain of actions of the knapper. Stone tool replication is a type of experimental archaeology that involves making exact copies of different types of stone tool. Ethnographic observation of the use of tools give information, so does the organic residue, microwear patterns, traces and marks on the tool. One of the most important organic materials and must have been used to make tools for as long as stone and bone.
