Flintknapping

Anth 3008

Intro To Flintknapping (3 Credit May Term Course): As the vast majority of human existence has been spent using stone tools as the primary medium for the interaction between humans and the environment, understanding the causes of change in stone tool variation through time is fundamental to understanding the human past. The rediscovery of the techniques used to create past stone tool traditions is thus instrumental to the study of archaeology. This course provides students with hands-on experience in the replication of prehistoric stone tool technology that furnishes the basis for contemporary approaches to lithic analysis in prehistoric archaeology. The learning objectives of this course include 1) a practical ability to manufacture stone tools (flintknapping) using aboriginal tools and techniques from the most ancient to most recent times, 2) an introductory knowledge of known prehistoric lithic variability, and 3) experience with several raw materials used for flintknapping.

Anth 5269

Analysis of Stone Tool Technology (4 Credit Fall Term Course) From a scientific point of view, as the vast majority of human existence has been spent using stone tools as the primary medium for the interaction between humans and the environment, understanding the causes of change in stone tool variation through time is fundamental to understanding the human past. The goals of this course include 1) a comprehensive survey of known flintknapping processes, 2) a critical examination of different traditions of studying stone tools among archaeologists around the world, and 3) practical experience with analyzing an entire stone tool collection from an experimental archaeological site in order to reconstruct the behaviors, from procurement of raw stone to the discard of the exhausted tools, which produced the site and its collection. This course will also provide students with hands-on experience in the replication of prehistoric lithic technology that furnishes the basis for contemporary approaches to lithic analysis in prehistoric archaeology. This is a practical laboratory class: the successful completion of this course will allow you to perform the tasks required of lithic analysts currently working in the Cultural Resource Management industry.