Crossing the Borders: New Methods and Techniques in the Study of Archaeological Materials from the Caribbean

98 / Benoît Bérard
Figure 7.3. Early Cedrosan Saladoid chaîne opératoire of débitage.
Concerning the raw materials used, no serious comparison can be made between
collections from different islands. In regard to the way those raw materials
were introduced in the sites, some differences have been identified. In the
early Cedrosan Saladoid sites, the stones have been introduced untreated. On the
site of La Cathédrale de Basse- Terre, the majority of the stones have been introduced
at least partially preprocessed. That point is in contradiction with the observations
of R. Rodríguez Ramos about the sites in Puerto Rico and Vieques. In fact,
the mode of introduction of the raw materials may not have a cultural significance.
The major difference existing between the reduction methods is the presence
in the collection from La Cathédrale de Basse- Terre of the discoid method of reduction.
That method has never been identified in early Cedrosan Saladoid sites.
The other elements of the chaînes opératoires are quite similar. There is no real difference
between the results of that study and those of R. Rodríguez Ramos. The
only difference is a terminological one. The use of the term “Levallois” implies an
important level of predetermination of the final products. 6 That predetermina-
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