The Use of Flaked Stone Artifacts in Palau, Western Micronesia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5114948 |
|---|---|
| Authors | M Haslam (0000-0001-8234-7806), Jolie Liston |
| Year | 2008 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 405-428 |
| Publication date | 2008-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Asian perspectives (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0066-8435 • E-ISSN: 1535-8283 |
| Publisher | Project MUSE (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1353/asi.0.0008 |
| OpenAlex | W2114780154 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 22 |
This paper summarizes current research into flaked stone assemblages from the Republic of Palau, Micronesia. We review archaeological analyses of Palau's flaked stone artifacts, examine ethnohistorical sources for descriptions and potential uses of lithic tools, and present the results of a recent microscopic use-wear and residue study of twenty flaked stone artifacts. We find that while a lithic technology based on bipolar reduction had emerged by at least the beginning of the first millennium b.c. , the archaeological and ethnohistorical records demonstrate the relative obscurity of stone tool use in the final stages of prehistory. The artifacts analyzed for residues are associated with radiocarbon dates ranging from ca. 1120 b.c .- a.d . 1640, with the majority recovered from inland earthwork and village complexes radiocarbon dated to approximately two thousand years ago. Residue evidence for wood and bone/skin working is discussed in terms of past social activities and changes in settlement patterns, and in light of the perceived dominance of shell as a tool material on Palau. The potential for soil fungi to influence the interpretation of artifact residues is also considered. The study emphasizes the unique position of residue analyses in contributing to studies of artifact function in the Pacific, and suggests future directions for flaked-stone research on Palau
Archaeology · Artifact (error · Biology · Debitage · Geoarchaeology · Geography · Lithic technology · Prehistory · Radiocarbon dating · Stone tool · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies
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Preliminary study on the preservation of giant clam (Tridacnidae) shells from the Balobok Rockshelter archaeological site, south Philippines
Archaeological Science Under a Microscope
Middle and late Holocene skin‐working tools in Melanesia
Cultural Chronology of Earthworks in Palau, Western Micronesia
An account of the Pelew Islands
Origins of Agriculture at Kuk Swamp in the Highlands of New Guinea
Evaluating the effects of climate change on environment, resource depletion, and culture in the Palau Islands between AD 1200 and 1600
Human Colonization of the Palau Islands, Western Micronesia
Potential misidentification of in situ archaeological tool-residues
The decomposition of starch grains in soils
Stone Tool Research at the End of the Millennium
Blood residues on ancient tool surfaces
Finding resolution for the Howiesons Poort through the microscope
The Antiquity of Pearl Shell ( Pinctada Sp.) Burial Artifacts in Palau, Western Micronesia
Starch residues on undecorated Lapita pottery from Anir, New Ireland
Radiocarbon dates from the Ulong site in Palau and implications for Western Micronesian prehistory
Prehistoric fishing in Palau, Micronesia
Early human burials in the western Pacific
Residues on stone artefacts
A 3000-Year Culture Sequence from Palau, Western Micronesia
Survival and detection of blood residues on stone tools
Towards an understanding of hafting
Pleistocene seed-grinding implements from the Australian arid zone
Direct evidence for human use of plants 28,000 years ago
The Archaeology of the Palau Islands
Archaeological Context and Systemic Context
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,29 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2012 (4) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |