Raw Material Selection and Stone Tool Production: Limestone Bifaces in the Mopan Valley, Belize

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 198-204
Author(s):  
Rachel A. Horowitz ◽  
Bernadette Cap ◽  
Jason Yaeger ◽  
Meaghan Peuramaki-Brown ◽  
Mark Eli
Keyword(s):  
Material Selection ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Stone Tools ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Maya Lowlands ◽  
Belize River Valley ◽  
Raw Material Selection

Stone tool producers in the Maya Lowlands had several types of raw materials from which to choose. Limestone, chert, and obsidian are the most naturally abundant, whereas chert and obsidian outnumber limestone in archaeological contexts. The presence of flaked-stone tools made of limestone is typically attributed to the scarcity of more suitable raw materials. Nevertheless, in chert-rich areas, such as the upper Belize River valley, limestone bifaces and production debitage are present. To understand their presence, we examine limestone biface production and use at Buenavista del Cayo.

scholarly journals Raw material optimization and stone tool engineering in the Early Stone Age of Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (162) ◽  
pp. 20190377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alastair Key ◽  
Tomos Proffitt ◽  
Ignacio de la Torre
Keyword(s):  
Functional Performance ◽  
Material Selection ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Cutting Tools ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Olduvai Gorge ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
Material Optimization ◽  
Early Stone Age

For more than 1.8 million years hominins at Olduvai Gorge were faced with a choice: whether to use lavas, quartzite or chert to produce stone tools. All are available locally and all are suitable for stone tool production. Using controlled cutting tests and fracture mechanics theory we examine raw material selection decisions throughout Olduvai's Early Stone Age. We quantify the force, work and material deformation required by each stone type when cutting, before using these data to compare edge sharpness and durability. Significant differences are identified, confirming performance to depend on raw material choice. When combined with artefact data, we demonstrate that Early Stone Age hominins optimized raw material choices based on functional performance characteristics. Doing so flexibly: choosing raw materials dependent on their sharpness and durability, alongside a tool's loading potential and anticipated use-life. In this way, we demonstrate that early lithic artefacts at Olduvai Gorge were engineered to be functionally optimized cutting tools.

scholarly journals The pottery traditions of Levshinskiy stage of the Kama Neolithic and Novoilyinskaya Eneolithic cultures

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-106
Author(s):  
Olga Viktorovna Andreeva ◽  
Nadezhda Sergeevna Batueva
Keyword(s):  
Material Selection ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Silty Clay ◽  
Cultural Approach ◽  
Molding Material ◽  
Raw Material Selection

The following paper deals with the complexes of the late (Levshin) stage of the Kama culture and the early Eneolithic ceramic complexes of the Novoilyinskaya culture of the Middle Prikamye within the framework of a historical-cultural approach to the study of pottery. In the course of the work, the most stable traditions of raw material selection were highlighted: silty clay was used for the Kama culture; clay and silty clay were used in equal shares for the manufacture of Novoilyinskaya ceramics. For the manufacture of Kama ceramics raw materials were initially dried and crushed; this tradition was absent in the Novoilyinskaya culture. In both cultures mostly unsprayed (ductile) raw materials were used. As a result, it turned out that the population of the Kama region of the early Eneolithic was formed on the basis of the genesis of the local Neolithic population - the Kama culture representatives with the new (Volga) population. This fact may be indicated by differences in the skills of preparing plastic raw materials, mineral impurities for the preparation of the molding material, as well as the methods of applying the ornament.

scholarly journals Science and Technology for Alen-Alen Entrepreneur Comunities

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-88
Author(s):  
Hotnida Sinaga ◽  
Linda Masniary Lubis ◽  
Siti Kadijah Nasution
Keyword(s):  
Production Process ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Material Selection ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Process Time ◽  
Production Practice ◽  
Service Activity ◽  
Raw Material Selection ◽  
Standard Hygiene

This community service activity was intended to assist entrepreneurs engaged in the production of alen-alen, a product made from cassava. There are some problems encountered in the production process, such as washing raw materials manually, work safety during the production practice, products that are not in accordance with standard hygiene and sanitation and packaging process that has not been designed properly. The entrepreneurs want to increase production but the equipment and processing machinery are very limited. To overcome this problem, several methods can be performed by the academics, such as facilitating them with appropriate tools that meet the needs in the field. A cassava washer unit and specific boiler tools to avoid hot steam when taking the material were offered. In addition, entrepreneurs were trained in hygiene and sanitation in alen-alen making, educated for packaging technology quality, raw material selection and the use of food coloring, formulating variations for alen-alen manufacture, as well as financial bookkeeping training. The implementation of these activities is expected to generate shorter production process time leading to further increase in the production, income and welfare of the entrepreneurs.

scholarly journals Basic Principles of Selecting Stone Raw Materials in Tool Production in the Industry of Chagyrskaya Peshchera

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 53-61
Author(s):  
K. A. Kolobova ◽  
S. V. Markin ◽  
A. V. Shalagina ◽  
S. V. Schnaider ◽  
A. I. Krivoshapkin
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Stone Tools ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Petrographic Analysis ◽  
Secondary Treatment ◽  
Work Skills ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Gorny Altai ◽  
High Degree

This article is devoted to Neanderthal adaptation strategies, whose study is becoming more and more relevant in recent years as a result of new discoveries demonstrating Neanderthal cognitive capabilities. Our perception of this subspecies of ancient hominins and of their work skills is changing in view of these discoveries. In this connection, investigation of easternmost Eurasian Neanderthals’ tool manufacturing processes, who produced stone tools in the absence of flint and with the raw materials available, is supposed to clarify researchers’ ideas about the strategies ensuring the Neanderthal subsistence. Purpose. We focuses on main trends in manufacturing stone tools developed by the Gorny Altai Neanderthals within the framework of the Sibiryachikha industry. Our research is based on attributive analysis within a technicaltypological method. We aimed at identifying technologically significant morphological and metric features of each item from the collection of stone tools found in Chagyrskaya Peshchera (Cave). In the article, we provide typological definitions for the stone tool blanks, identify variants of the tools’ secondary treatment and the number of such traces on the tool, describe the tools’ edges with retouch and give detailed information on the metric parameters of the tools and blanks. The results of the previously published petrographic analysis, which was conducted by N. A. Kulik, in combination with the attributive analysis of stone artifacts from the 6C/1, 2008 assemblage, indicate that there are four main types of raw materials which were mainly used by the Gorny Altai Neanderthals. Results. The greatest variety of raw materials was recorded in the category of blanks without secondary treatment. Among the tools, the greatest variety is demonstrated by tools that have minimal traces of secondary treatment, namely single scrapers and retouched flakes. There seems to be little diversity among double and convergent scrapers, for which zasuryan jasper were predominantly used. As for bifaces, we observe domination of the blanks made of the zasuryan jasper. Conclusion. Our research has confirmed that the basic principles of using raw materials by the Gorny Altai Neanderthals were the quality and availability of these materials. In general, high-quality stone raw materials were used for the production of well-modified tools, such as bifaces, convergent scrapers and retouched points. Such a selectivity of raw material identified for the items from our collection supports the hypothesis that explains a high degree of Neanderthal adaptation to the paleo-environment.

Preliminary Study on Teaching Reform of Cosmetic Raw Material Science

2013 ◽  
Vol 634-638 ◽  
pp. 3903-3907
Author(s):  
Guang Yong Zhu ◽  
Zuo Bing Xiao ◽  
Ru Jun Zhou ◽  
Ya Lun Zhu ◽  
Feng Ping Yi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Material Science ◽  
Special Function ◽  
Material Selection ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Teaching Reform ◽  
Cosmetic Formulation ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
Raw Material Selection

Cosmetics are manufactured from various raw materials based on rational formula. In order to obtain cosmetics with good quality and special function, cosmetic raw material selection is very important. The raw material selection is a key technique except for cosmetic formulation. Only structures, characteristics of the raw material were grasped, they can be used correctly and flexibly and new cosmetics can be developed. A suitable textbook about cosmetic raw materials written in Chinese is not available at present. Course construction about cosmetic raw material is needed and urgent. Therefore, a new course, Cosmetic Raw Material Science, is introduced in Shanghai Institute of Technology. It is a fundamental subject for students with major of cosmetics. The course contents and the teaching methods were described in the paper.

Measures to Control the Temperature of the Concrete Cracks in Foundation Mass

2015 ◽  
Vol 723 ◽  
pp. 309-312
Author(s):  
Zi Chun Mao ◽  
Dong Wang ◽  
Yuan Bo Liu
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Stress ◽  
Material Selection ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Concrete Strength ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Stress Generation ◽  
Grade Configuration ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Raw Material Selection

In the construction process, the concrete has been get fully utilized, there have been a variety of concrete strength grade configuration requirements and the corresponding raw materials. In the pouring process large volume concrete base, since the temperature stress generation will produce concrete temperature cracks, so the concrete pouring, raw material selection, after pouring temperature control measures have higher requirements. Based on a practical project, the construction of the control temperature stress did some exploratory research.

scholarly journals Preliminary Archaeopetrological Study of the Lithic Industry From the l’Hort de la Boquera Rock Shelter (Margalef de Montsant, Tarragona, Spain): Applying Mineralogical and Geochemical Techniques

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 23-33
Author(s):  
Mar Rey-Solé ◽  
Maria Pilar García-Argüelles ◽  
Jordi Nadal ◽  
Xavier Mangado ◽  
Anders Scherstén ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Petrographic Analysis ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Lithic Industry ◽  
Plasma Mass Spectrometry

The l’Hort de la Boquera site is located in the northeastern part of Iberia and its stone tool assemblage includes up to 25,000 flint artefacts. This is the first approach to the analysis of the raw material through an archaeopetrological study. Results were obtained by use of mineralogi¬cal techniques: macroscopic and petrographic analysis, Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM), Micro-Raman and X-Ray diffraction (XRD); additionally, Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry was applied. It has been possible to discriminate at least four flint categories, the ‘Evaporitic flint type’ (with two local subvarieties – ‘Common evaporitic’ and ‘Garnet’ varieties) that comes from local outcrops of the Ulldemolins Complex, and two flint types that had their origin further afield: the ‘Charophyta flint type’ (coming from the Torrente de Cinca Unit) and the ‘Dark flint type’ (from the La Serra Llarga Formation).These results make this study the most comprehensive analysis of raw materials that has been carried out in the area so far

Raw material selection and evidence for rhinoceros tooth tools at Dadong Cave, southern China

Antiquity ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (284) ◽  
pp. 372-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Miller-Antonio ◽  
L. A. Schepartz ◽  
D. Bakken
Keyword(s):  
Material Selection ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Raw Material Selection ◽  
Lower Palaeolithic

Research in Dadong Cave, southern China, has revealed evidence suggesting that nonlithic materials were used in the tool kits of the Chinese Lower Palaeolithic.

scholarly journals Procurement and mobility during the Late Pleistocene: Characterising the stone-tool assemblage of the Picamoixons site (Tarragona, NE Iberian Peninsula)

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Soto
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Petrographic Analysis ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Ne Iberian Peninsula

The Picamoixons site is a rockshelter located in the province of Tarragona (NE Iberian Peninsula). It was object of two rescue campaigns during 1988 and 1993, which led to the recovery of a complete archaeological assemblage, including stone tools as well as faunal and portable art remains that date the occupation to the 14th to 11th millennium BP (calibrated). This study involves a petrographic characterisation of the stone-tool assemblage in order to establish: 1) the procurement areas, 2) the raw materials management strategies and 3) the mobility radius and territorial sizes of the hunter-gatherers groups that occupied the site. The method applied comprises in a multiscale analysis that includes systematic prospection, the petrographic characterisation of geological and archaeological samples, an analysis of the chert types represented in the knapping sequence, and the definition of the mobility axes and areas frequented according to lithic procurement.A petrographic analysis of the chert in the prospected area led to the definition of nine macroscopic varieties related to five types (Vilaplana, Morera, Maset, Vilella and Tossa cherts), related to Lower and Upper Muschelkalk (Triassic), Lutetian, Bartonian (Palaeocene) and Sannonian (Oligocene) deposits.The study of the knapping sequences indicates the main exploitation of Bartonian cherts (Tossa type), and the use of Lutetian cherts (Maset and Morera types) for configuring retouched tools. The exploitation of the remaining raw material types identified is considered sporadic and opportunistic.Defining the procurement areas enabled the mobility radius to be assessed as between 3 and 30 km, highlighting the importance of the fluvial basins as natural movement pathways. The results indicate that the main procurement territory was 16 km2 in area, associable with a forager radius. The most remote procurement distances suggest a maximum exploitation area of 260 km2, defining an intra-regional range. This range presents parallelisms with various contemporaneous hunter-gatherers groups in Western Europe, suggesting a progressive mobility reduction dynamic during the Late Pleistocene-Initial Holocene.

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