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Pressure blades and total cutting edge: an experiment in lithic technology
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|February 11, 1972
Summary
Pressure-blade techniques efficiently produced 17.32 meters of cutting edge from an 820-gram obsidian core. This method maximized material use, yielding 2.1 cm of cutting edge per gram of obsidian.
Area of Science:
- Archaeological Science
- Lithic Technology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Stone tools, particularly those made from obsidian, have been crucial throughout human history.
- Understanding the efficiency of ancient tool-making techniques is key to reconstructing past behaviors and technological capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the efficiency of pressure-blade techniques in obsidian tool production.
- To determine the yield of acute cutting edge per unit of raw material.
Main Methods:
- Utilized pressure-flaking techniques to detach blades from a preformed obsidian core.
- Precisely measured the total length of the acute cutting edge produced.
- Calculated the ratio of cutting edge length to the original core weight.
Main Results:
- Successfully detached 83 blades from an 820-gram obsidian core.
- Generated a total of 17.32 meters of acute cutting edge.
- Achieved a high material utilization rate, with blades representing 91% of the original core weight.
Conclusions:
- Pressure-blade technique is highly efficient for producing substantial lengths of acute cutting edge from obsidian.
- The method demonstrates significant material conservation, yielding 2.1 cm of cutting edge per gram of original material.
- This study validates the effectiveness of pressure flaking for maximizing usable edge production in lithic technology.
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