fulltext - Simple search

Flaked rhyolite from Jettböle: attempts at an experimental explanation
Jettböle was seen as problematic, since the technology was described as be
ing macrolithic. Further interpretations were hindered by the lack of an ex
perimental frame of reference.
The experiments
Three series of experiments were conducted during the summer of 2003.
logical material. The archaeological lithic material has been used in cultural
interpretations of the site (Darmark 2001), but with hesitation, since the
natural fragmentation was not known. Therefore, the experiments tried to
imitate the anticipated reduction strategy described above. The lithic debris
produced was sieved using a 0,4 mesh in order for it to be comparable to the
excavated material. The following questions were asked:
What is the natural fragmentation of rhyolite? In what proportions
Are the fragmentation and the amount of splinters produced af
fected by the weight of the hammerstone? This question arose since
the hammerstones at Jettböle and Bergmanstorp are different. At
Bergmanstorp, only smaller hammerstones (average 400 grams)
were found, while the hammerstones at Jettböle ranged from 200 to
2300 grams. The character of the hammerstones was believed to be
connected with the characteristics of the lithic debris.
How common is the occurrence of multiple fractures? Previous ex
periments showed that the lack of platform preparation or prepara
tion of hammerstones often resulted in the production of several
platform. These had also been noticed in the archaeological material
from Jettböle and their presence led to the idea that they were re
403