Abstract

WEITZEL, Celeste. What fractures have to tell: classification and causes of fracture types in lithic tools. Intersecciones antropol. [online]. 2012, vol.13, n.1, pp.43-55. ISSN 1850-373X.

Broken stone tools provide information beyond the condition of the material or their breakage index. This paper offers a classification of different types of fracture in flaked stone tools. It includes a detailed characterization for each fracture which, in several cases, allows its cause to be identified. Relevant points for the analysis of the fractures are also provided. The analysis was developed as a methodological tool to incorporate the study of broken tools into archaeological topics such as raw material use, inferences about the activities in which stone tools were involved, and the relationship between stone tools and different social choices and practices.

Keywords : Lithic material; Fractures in flaked stone tools; Classificationand analysis of broken stone tools.

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