Using Raman Spectroscopy to Identify the Type of Process Used to Heat Treat Silcrete Lithics

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Silcrete used to make stone tools in South Africa ~70ka shows signs of being heat treated. There are debates over the type of heat treatment used, and unfortunately, there are minimal approaches to identifying different heating methods. Three methods have been proposed for this ancient heat treatment: (1) direct (2) ember and (3) sand-bath heat treatment. Since some methods require temperature management and others are relatively simple it would be useful to differentiate the methods as they have varying implications for human cognition and technological complexity. Raman Spectroscopy can analyze the chemical composition and the molecular stress/strain in silcrete that may assist differentiating the three methods. Results from a preliminary study of silcrete experimentally heat-treated using each proposed method of heat treatment are presented and show promise in contributing to this research question.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52514