Stage Versus Continuum in the Debris Assemblage from Production of A Fluted Biface

Abstract

Ordinarily we regard the litic reduction sequence as a series of stages, but it may instead be a continuum. Using the debris assemblage generated in producing a fluted biface broadly of Gainey affinity, in which each flake was numbered in order of removal, this study evaluates stage and continuous approaches as models of reduction. Stages are not evident, despite the use of several methods to identify them. Instead, a multiple regression model identifies dorsal scar count, flake weight, and plat-form width as significant predictors of removal order in the reduction continuum.