Stone-tool demography: Reduction distributions in North American paleoindian tools

Abstract

Stone tools age by reduction during use. Like individuals, each tool ages (is reduced) to some particular degree; like populations, sets of tools age (are reduced) to varying degrees expressed as reduction distributions. I fit distributions of North American Paleoindian tools to mathematical models, both for -efficient description and to identify processes that govern discard. Reduction -analysis is the thoughtful use of surprisingly simple measurements and practices to reveal both dimensions of past behavior and how the archaeological record formed. © 2010 Springer-Verlag New York.