Lithic Artefacts

This chapter focuses on stone knapping as it creates a number of features that are consistent enough to be recognized and described by standard micromorphological description. Knapped lithic artefacts can be identified easily in soil thin section as they show a number of recurrent and diagnostic micromorphological features. The chapter summarizes the most noticeable features of knapped lithic artefacts. The observed variability of these features is low, thus allowing the micromorphologist to identify the fragments of chert/flint or quartzite that display the complete set of features as knapped lithic artefacts. Knapped lithic artefacts are almost always very angular to angular, usually with regular and smooth surfaces and sharp and prominent boundaries. They exhibit a more-or-less regularly curved or straight outline. Lithic artefacts affected by thermal impact are fairly common in the archaeological record. The effects of thermal impact on the artefacts may vary according to the nature and characteristics of the raw material used.