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Abstract

The history of an organization of technology approach is complicated. Rather than trace specific strands, we examine its paradigm-like nature and connections to skeptical inquiry, as well as discussing the main studies influencing our own work. An examination and modification of a classic diagram of levels of analysis in this approach, especially the addition of a consideration of the life history of lithic artifacts, facilitates application. For such application, the importance and future of experimentation, both flintknapping and simulation, are discussed. Lithic analysts are called to identify a common assemblage which we can use to test our approaches and methods.This special issue is guest edited by Gilbert B. Tostevin (Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota). This is article #3 of 7. Throughout the development of behavioral research with stone tools, there is an interesting interplay of inductive and deductive reasoning, that is; between questions they ask, in the extreme: What can this stone tool tell us about behavior, and;What are the implications of behavior for stone tools? (Magne 1985: 22) I f the date for the opening quote from Martin Magne was not provided, the language would help place it in the heyday of processual archaeology. In the 1980s, processual archaeologists were interested in developing scientific methods to reconstruct human behavior, especially following Binford's (1981) call to link the static archaeological record with dynamic behavior by building middle range theory. Since that time, processual archaeology has undergone significant critique, theory wars have waged, and today there are a number of theoretical perspectives in contemporary archaeology, including "processual plus;" in some cases, individual archaeologists adopt an eclectic theoretical perspective (Hegmon 2003). Despite these changes, we still see much of use in the processual archaeology paradigm with some modifications, such as working to minimize and make explicit bias. While it is difficult to assess the current state of theory building in archaeology to determine if this constitutes a paradigmatic crisis (sensu T. Kuhn 1970), there remains a sense of normal science in the general activities of archaeologists. This makes for an interesting time to consider the epistemology of our approach to lithic analysis. In exploring this topic, we found ourselves best able to describe our personal involvement with the development of an organization of technology approach (referred to here as a "TO" approach following Cobb 2000) and identify directions for future research.Discussions of epistemology tend to simplify its meaning to how we know what we know. In this vein, Lett (1987: 11) defined epistemology as "the study of the nature and source of knowledge." However, these simplifications belie the actual complexity of explaining how we arrive at knowledge. There are numerous volumes outside of archaeology that address this philosophical issue and plenty of books and articles within the discipline tha...

A new approach to measure reduction intensity on cores and tools on cobbles: the Volumetric Reconstruction Method

“…The management of lithic tools through reduction can be affected by multiple factors such as raw material quality, size or accessibility, group mobility and transport patterns, occupation type and duration, as well as the function of the tools, among others (Andrefsky 1994;Blades 2003;Carr and Bradbury 2011;Kuhn 1990;Morales 2016;Nelson 1991;Rolland and Dibble 1990;Schiffer 1987). Given that there is a connection between reduction as a physical process and curation as a behavioral one (Shott and Weedman 2007), the quantification of reduction intensity can help us better understand behavioral patterns, technological and economic organization strategies, and ultimately, cognitive capabilities such as planning and adaptation.…”

Unravelling technological behaviors through core reduction intensity. The case of the early Protoaurignacian assemblage from Fumane Cave.

“…Reduction intensity is a pivotal element for studying the adaptation of humans group to their environment, such as in terms of management of raw materials in relation to availability, abundance, and proximity of resources, as well as for understanding the different strategies for their acquisition, transport, use, and discard (e.g., Andrefsky, 1994;Blades, 2003;Carr and Bradbury, 2011;Kuhn, 1991;Lombao et al, 2023b;Morales, 2016;Nelson, 1991;Rolland and Dibble, 1990;Shott andSillitoe, 2005, 2004). Furthermore, reduction intensity is a crucial element for parsimoniously exploring technological variability.…”