An Organization of Technology Model and Archaeological Inference

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Inference in Paleoarchaeology" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In the late twentieth century, the investigation of settlement patterns and mobility were considered important archaeological endeavors. Analyzing stone tools assemblages to make inferences of group mobility was based on utilizing simple dichotomies. For stone tools, the concepts of curated and expedient dominated thinking. Likewise, the constructs of foragers and collectors controlled inferences regarding mobility. While a more nuanced understanding of these concepts and constructs has developed, there remains today an interest in inferring mobility patterns from lithic assemblages and the significance of these dichotomies should not be underestimated. An organization of technology model has been proposed as a means of making inferences of past behavior, including mobility, based on archaeological data in terms of artifact form and distribution, namely lithic data. This model is explored here with consideration of how it constrains inferences and how data cause reconsideration of the model. Conclusions are drawn regarding whether the model should be abandoned or it retains sufficient utility for continued application and revision.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Inference in Paleoarchaeology

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32276