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Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology pp 476–486Cite as

Lithics

  • Reference work entry
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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Synonyms

Archaeological stone in geoarchaeology; Archaeometry of stone; Lithic technology; Petrology of lithics

Definition

Lithics. Stone used and modified in prehistory. The analytical tools and methods used to understand lithics in the past.

Introduction

Lithics is the term used to describe stone implements of the past and their study. It includes analysis of archaeologically recovered tools as well as the processes used to manufacture them based on empirical examination of residual evidence, experimentation, and analogy to modern and historic toolmaking societies. Lithic technologists work directly with the stone artifacts themselves and are concerned with the above goals. In contrast, this entry deals with the geoarchaeological aspects of lithic analysis, i.e., the information obtained by earth science techniques such as petrology, that further help refine our understanding of tool-using behavior. The entry will also examine some of the history and advances made in...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geoarchaeological XRF Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3710, USA

    M. Steven Shackley

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  1. M. Steven Shackley
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Correspondence to M. Steven Shackley .

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  1. Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA

    Allan S. Gilbert

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Shackley, M.S. (2017). Lithics. In: Gilbert, A.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4409-0_34

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