The original research papers in the volume provide a broad review of current approaches to the study of lithic technology from the Palaeolithic to the present. The contributions address both with analytical techniques and interpretive issues. Collectively, they increase our understanding of issues such as tool function, means of production, raw material sourcing and exchange systems, and the evolution of human cognition, social organization and symbolic behavior.

Debitage, the by-product flakes and chips from stone tool production, is the most abundant artifact type found on prehistoric sites. Archaeologists now recognise its potential in providing information about the kinds of tools produced, the characteristics of the technology that produced them, human mobility patterns and even site function, applying scientific analyses to its study. This volume brings together some of the most recent research on debitage analysis and intepretation, including replication experiments, and offers methodologies for interpreting variability in assemblages at the micro and macro level.

This book presents the current state of Maya archaeology by focusing on the history of the field for the last 100 years, present day research, and forward looking prescription for the direction of the field.

This fully updated and revised edition of William Andrefsky Jr's ground-breaking manual on lithic analysis is designed for students and professional archaeologists. It explains the fundamental principles of the measurement, recording and analysis of stone tools and stone tool production debris. Introducing the reader to lithic raw materials, classification, terminology and key concepts, the volume comprehensively explores methods and techniques, presenting detailed case studies of lithic analysis from around the world. It also examines new emerging techniques and includes a new section on stone tool functional studies.

A tightly focused group of papers on the deconstruction and significance of the concept of time, with a historical background on the development of time perspectivism and a range of case studies and examples. After reading this you may never think about time in quite the same way.

This book seeks to identify and describe all the rocks and minerals employed by the ancient Egyptians using proper geological nomenclature, and to give an account of their sources in so far as they are known. The various uses of the stones are described, as well as the technologies employed to extract, transport, carve, and thermally treat them.

This practical volume does not intend to replace a mentor, but acts as a readily accessible guide to the basic tools of lithic analysis. The book was awarded the 2005 SAA Award for Excellence in Archaeological Analysis. Some focuses of the manual include: history of stone tool research; procurement, manufacture and function; assemblage variability. It is an incomparable source for academic archaeologists, cultural resource and heritage management archaeologists, government heritage agencies, and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students of archaeology focused on the prehistoric period.