From Chopper to Celt

The Evolution of Resharpening Techniques

Bibliographic Data

ID5227410
AuthorsBrian Hayden (0000-0002-8524-7373)
Year1987
Volume16
Issue2-3
Pages33-43
Publication date1987-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueLithic Technology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0197-7261 • E-ISSN: 2051-6185
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01977261.1987.11720881
OpenAlexW2292026364
LanguageEN
Citations received68
References cited20

Among hunter-gatherers important constraints exist on the procurement of lithic materials. When changes in one sector of the lithic system increase procurement costs beyond acceptable limits, compensatory changes in other aspects of the system become necessary. The two most variable parts of the system in this regard involve (1) the quantity of materials processed and (2) the use-lives of tools as determined by resharpening techniques. Largely because cutting requirements increased over time together with advances in wood, hunting, and shelter technology, the resharpening mode changed from hard-hammer percussion, to soft-hammer percussion, to the secondary resharpening of flakes, to pressure resharpening, and finally to edge-grinding. This model posits that as the conservation of lithic raw material becomes an increasingly important consideration, reduction and resharpening techniques capable of conserving material to greater degrees will be adopted despite high energy costs in obtaining and preparing special raw materials and in the manufacturing of tools

Archaeology · Business · Geography · Grinding · Hammer · Knapping · Procurement · Raw material · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Computer Science · Engineering · Paleopathology and ancient diseases · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Ecology · Mechanical Engineering

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