American Antiquity · 1999 · 67 citations · 32 references
HumanitiesArchaeologyEnvironmental ArchaeologyPrehistoric ArchaeologySettlement ArchaeologyLithic AnalysisLithic TechnologyPaleolithic ArchaeologySite Location AnalysisStone Tool TechnologyLithic Assemblage AnalysisLithic BehaviorLithic Production SystemsLithic Technological OrganizationRegional Settlement SystemsSite-scale Lithic AnalysisStone Tool Function AnalysisTool Assemblages
Recent theoretical advances in lithic technology organization enable the study of prehistoric settlement systems and the functional roles of sites, particularly small, poorly preserved scatters, by linking mobility to stone‑tool design and production. The authors test these hypotheses by analyzing dominant tool‑production methods. Subsistence‑settlement models for three periods of western New York prehistory suggest different roles for small interior sites, and detailed flake‑production analyses reveal major differences in stone‑tool assemblages that confirm distinct site functions.
Abstract Recent theoretical developments in the organization of lithic technology provide powerful tools for learning about prehistoric settlement systems and the roles of sites within settlement systems. Strong relationships between mobility and the designs and production methods of stone tools provide a means for testing hypotheses about the functional and organizational roles of sites; this is especially important for learning about "plow zone lithic scatters" and other small, poorly preserved sites. Subsistence-settlement models for three periods of western New York prehistory imply different roles for small sites in the interior of the region. These hypotheses are tested by the analysis of dominant tool-production methods. Strong differences in stone tool assemblages indicate major differences in site roles, but greater analytical detail and discriminatory power are obtained from the analysis of tool-production methods from flakes.
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