Two-Day Workshop Dates: TBD
Course Description
Cores represent initial reduction of toolstone in most flaked stone technologies. Cores exhibit wide variation in reduction techniques or culturally determined methods of manufacture, maintenance, reworking, and recycling. This variation in behavior is reflected in diagnostic technological attributes of the cores and in the flakes removed from the cores. This two-day workshop will consist of a focused immersion on a series of percussion core reduction technologies. Participants will develop skills in recognizing five specific core reduction technologies: unidirectional, multi-directional, bipolar, blade, and biface. In addition, analysis of stages of reduction, as well as the tools used in the reduction of cores will be examined. Participants will have opportunities to examine tools and debitage, observe the production of flakes, and engage in hands on experimental reduction using various core technologies. Attendees will produce their own study collection of diagnostic cores and debitage and learn how to set up their own experimental lithic studies.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the two-day Core Reduction Technologies Workshop, attendees will be able to:
- Identify common percussion core reduction strategies;
- Understand and recognize different percussion core reduction and maintenance strategies;
- Differentiate between natural (non-cultural) and technological (culturally-produced) flakes;
- Develop research questions and outline an experimental research design for your own analyses;
- Produce your own study collection of diagnostic cores and debitage.