Introduction

Lithic artifact analysis is the study of stone artifacts in an effort to reconstruct past cultures, lifeways, technology, and behavior using those stone artifacts. Researchers interested in lithic analysis often study both the lithic tools used to perform various tasks and the lithic ‘debitage’ (debris) resulting from tool production and use. Lithic analysis begins with an understanding of how tools are produced and manufactured. This includes not only an appreciation of how stone is fractured and shaped, but also an understanding of the properties of various kinds of stone and how that stone is acquired by tool makers (see Chemical Analysis Techniques). Lithic analysis also includes the classification, measurement, and tabulation of different stone tools and debitage. Different sizes, shapes, and amounts of lithic artifacts reveal different kinds of information about past technologies, cultures, and behaviors. The analysis of lithic artifacts also includes an understanding of the wear created along the edges of tools during their use (‘microwear’ analysis). Distinctive kinds of edge damage, polishes, and debris accumulated on stone tools reveal how the tool was used and sometimes what it was used for (see Blood Residue Analysis; Phytolith Analysis; Starch Grain Analysis).

There are two primary kinds of lithic artifacts; ‘chipped stone’ artifacts and ‘ground stone’ artifacts. The most abundant and most common lithic artifacts are the chipped stone variety (those made by cracking off pieces of stone to shape it). Ground stone artifacts are less ubiquitous and are formed by grinding or abrading the stone surface (e. g., mortars and pestles). This article deals with the analysis of chipped stone artifacts.