Of Platforms and Preparation: Clovis Blade Technology at the Gault Site (41BL323), Central Texas, USA.

Summary

The careful preparation of Clovis striking platforms is considered characteristic of the technology. Platform preparation is regarded as a critical component of many lithic reduction strategies but very few studies have specifically focused on individual platform traits. General observations regarding Clovis platforms on bifaces suggest that these platforms are well-prepared and utilize five traits; faceting, reducing, releasing, isolating, and grinding. Platform preparation in a blade technology typically involves the preparation of both the core and blade platform. The interplay between these two components is essential in understanding the manufacturing and production of Clovis blades. This paper will focus on the use of platform preparation in Clovis blade component recovered from the Gault Site (41BL323), Central Texas, USA. Intermittent archaeological investigations between 1991 and 2013 have revealed extensive Clovis deposits in nine out of fifteen excavation areas. These deposits allow for an in-depth technological assessment of Clovis reduction strategies including the careful use of platform preparation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage