Trade-Offs in Standardizing Raw Materials
Experimental Control in Live Knapping Studies
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13085304 |
|---|---|
| Authors | William D Snyder (0000-0001-5878-984X, University of Tübingen, corresponding author), David Boysen (University of Tübingen), Jordy Didier Orellana Figueroa (0000-0002-2814-6306, University of Tübingen), Claudio Tennie (0000-0002-5302-4925, University of Tübingen), Jonathan S Reeves (0000-0002-2017-0539, University of Tübingen) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 390-415 |
| Publication date | 2024-11-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Advances in Archaeological Practice (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2326-3768 • E-ISSN: 2326-3768 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/aap.2024.29 |
| OpenAlex | W4409867536 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
Experimental stone tool replication is an important method for understanding the context and production of prehistoric technologies. Experimental control is valuable for restricting the influence of confounding variables. Researchers can exert control in studies related to cognition and behavior by standardizing the type, form, and size of raw materials. Although standardization measures are already part of archaeological practice, specific protocols—let alone comparisons between standardization techniques—are rarely openly reported. Consequently, independent laboratories often repeat the costly trial-and-error process for selecting usable raw material types or forms. Here, we investigated various techniques and raw materials (such as hand-knapped flint, machine-cut basalt, manufactured glass, and porcelain) and evaluated them for validity, reliability, and standardizability. We describe the tests we performed, providing information on the individual approaches, as well as comparisons between the techniques and materials according to validity and reliability, along with relative costs. We end by providing recommendations. This is intended as a serviceable guide on raw material standardization for knapping experiments, including existing strategies and ones so far undescribed in the experimental archaeology literature. The future of this field would benefit from developments in the relevant technologies and methodologies, especially for those that are not yet widely available or affordable
Archaeology · Knapping · Raw material · Chemistry · History · Material Properties and Processing
| Citations per year | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |