Raw Material Change And Core Technology

Abstract

Evidence has accumulated for Holocene flint technology in southern Britain being worked at a considerable distance away from the Cretaceous Chalk. This paper focuses on an analysis of flaking practices in a flint poor region of south-west Britain. Presented is a case study, a preliminary analysis of multi-period lithic scatters recovered by systematic survey in the parish of Shapwick, Somerset. Lithic scatters are interpreted as a "signature" of discontinuous but repeated seasonal activity over generations. Over thousands of years imported Downland flint is the dominant type of raw material. What can the relationship between raw materials and core technology tell us about the transmission of lithic skills over this long time frame?