Reconsidering Raw Material Selection: Skeletal Technologies and Design for Durability in Subarctic Alaska
Raw material selection is an essential facet of technological decision making. This analysis moves beyond more typical lithic studies, investigating links between raw material selection and practical tool function by integrating data from materials science and ethnohistory with an analysis of bone a...
Published in: | Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory |
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Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
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Digital Commons at Oberlin
2014
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Online Access: | https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/faculty_schol/40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-012-9168-x |
Summary: | Raw material selection is an essential facet of technological decision making. This analysis moves beyond more typical lithic studies, investigating links between raw material selection and practical tool function by integrating data from materials science and ethnohistory with an analysis of bone and antler tools. A case study of skeletal technologies from the Alaskan subarctic offers a fresh perspective on technological strategies, especially the selection of highly durable (fracture resistant) skeletal materials to create reliable tools for use in high-risk foraging contexts. |
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