Thesis
Microscopic analysis utilized in the identification of cutting, scraping and whittling activities on flake tools from the Qwu?gwes (45TN240), Hartstene, and Sunken Village (35MU4) sites in the central northwest coast of North America
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2007
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/100441
Abstract
In this thesis, cultural consultation, literature review and lastly experimental archeology via microscopic analysis is utilized in the identification of cutting, scraping and whittling activities on flake tools from the Qwu?gwes (45TN240), Hartstene, and Sunken Village (35MU4) sites in the central northwest coast of North America. Expanding upon earlier more subjective approaches in identification of tool functions, in this study an objective methodology for identifying different activities on lithic flake tools is developed. Utilizing a scanning electron microscope and a regular light microscope, three attributes - striation direction, polish intrusion, and edge morphology are observed on experimental flake tools after cutting, scraping and whittling activities to explain that each activity does leave it's own combination of wear attributes as a form of "activity signature" on the flake tool. As these attributes can be used to determine a flake tools past activities, they are developed into a discriminant function analysis (DFA) used to model possible usage of archaeological flake tools from the Qwu?gwes (45TN240), Hartstene, and Sunken Village (35MU4) sites. Blind test experimentation on flake tool demonstrate that the quantity of wear attributes observed on a flake tool and the accuracy in which those wear attributes are encoded can effect the correct identification of a particular flakes' past activity. It can be estimated that the DFA applied to identify the activities of flake tools at the sites, correctly identifies a tools activity approximately 67 percent of the time. At Qwu?gwes and at the Sunken Village sites, the flake tools were most likely used in cutting and scraping activities. At the Hartstene site, the flake tools were most likely used in cutting and scraping activities as well, but with the addition of possibly being used for whittling activities. In future work, it would be insightful to move the analysis to sites past the central northwest coast. The approach should also be used to analyze flake tools from older sites. This will hopefully test whether flake tools were used in different ways over time and add to the growing body of literature of Northwest Coast cultural development.
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Details
- Title
- Microscopic analysis utilized in the identification of cutting, scraping and whittling activities on flake tools from the Qwu?gwes (45TN240), Hartstene, and Sunken Village (35MU4) sites in the central northwest coast of North America
- Creators
- German Loffler
- Contributors
- Robert E Ackerman (Chair) - Washington State University, Anthropology, Department of
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Anthropology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525189701842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis