Technology and Terminology of Knapped Stone - IRIT

2. How t o dra w
Computers provide a new drawing tool to add to numerous existing tools (charcoal
crayon, soft lead pencil, ink, watercolour...). How useful is this new tool for illustrations of
prehistoric material ?
Although still little used, computer-aided design offers a wide range of capabilities :
high-end illustration software will generate any variety of solid or broken line; scanned images
can be modified down to the pixel level; laser printers can generate images of impeccable
quality; computer-aided illustration allows anyone to produce graphics without the need to
master normal techniques. However, computers remain a drawing tool like any other : even
though they allow anyone to produce a picture, they can never substitute for the technological
reading of an object, which is the indispensable basis for an effective drawing.
In this volume we therefore describe a traditional graphic technique, using pencil and
Indian ink 109
.
Drawing
1. General principle s
They are organized according to the layout of the book.
• Shaping (fig. 37)
When drawing a shaped object, the drawing must show the sequence of flaking actions
required to generate the three-dimensional shape of the object. Bifacial objects should normally
be drawn from both sides, while multifacial, polyhedric, spheroidal, etc. objects should normally
be shown using multiple views. Hackles and negative bulbs should be carefully recorded on these
views. For bifacial pieces, the profile should show the symmetry or dissymmetry of the object.
Judiciously chosen sections can be used to show the three-dimensional shape achieved by the
knapper. Schematic diagrams can be used to show the shaping methods used.
• Flaking (fig. 39)
Although cores provide the most information, their illustration is often limited to a single
view of the debitage surfaces. It is essential to show the shaping out of the volume of the core
and the preparations for flak e or blade removal, through :
- views of the debitage surfaces ;
- views of the shaping out surfaces ;
- views of the striking platforms and any preparation.
Schematic representations can be used to illustrate progressive steps in the exploitation
of a core.
Drawings of debitage products should show the morphology of the object together with
removals that preceded its detachment (fig. 38). From the drawing, one should be able to partly
identify the core from which the object was derived. The butt must be figured, because it often
shows distinctive features, which allow the discrimination of different flaking techniques. Bulb
scars, ripples and the morphology of the bulb are often good indicators of flaking techniques, and
should always be illustrated.
The diacritic diagram is used to synthesize the sequence of technical steps (see p. 126).
• Retouching
Removals can be accidental, deliberately made by the knapper, or can result from use.
They should be illustrated precisely, clearly recording morphological differences without making
assumptions about their origin. Supplementing descriptive views, sections can be drawn through
retouched areas to show modifications to edge angle or specific morphology as in the case, for
instance, of Quina retouch (fig. 34 : 5).
109 Coineau, 1978.
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