The Organization of Chipped-Stone Economies at Piedras Negras ...

5.4.1.1.8: Large stemmed uniface (see Figure 5.2 #8). This type was made from a large,
percussion blade, which was removed from a percussion-blade core as described by
Shafer and Hester (1983) for the Colhá site in northern Belize. The proximal end of the
blade was bifacially chipped into a stem. The distal end was often partly modified to
create a sharp point. They usually are longer than 12 cm in length.
This artifact type may better be described as a partially-bifaced macroblade,
because the stem can vary from unifacial working to complete bifacial reduction.
However, since one side usually is worked more than the other, I have created a type for
it here. Very large versions usually are found only in Preclassic contexts, and are
common to the northern Belize region of the lowlands (Shafer and Hester 1983). This
form does not exist at Piedras Negras, but smaller versions are found during all time
periods.
5.4.1.1.9: Large tapered biface (see Figure 5.2 #9). This type was created by bifacially
chipping one end of a microcrystalline-quartz nodule. It is above 12 cm in length.
This form seems to be common in the central and eastern lowlands, but is not
represented at Piedras Negras. Often made out of a microcrystalline-quartz nodule, only
the upper two thirds of the nodule are reduced. This tool may have been used as a hand
pick because of the ready-made grip on its proximal end. The tip (i.e., the distal end)
often has evidence of impact damage. The term tapered refers to the pointed, working end
of the piece.
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