essay

Obsidian blade manufacturing debris on terrace 37

ancient chalcatzingoAustinPublished In 1987 • Pages: 321-328

By: Burton, Susan Sassé.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Burton follows the analysis of chipped stone in general at the Olmec-influenced highland site of Chalcatzingo with this detailed description and analysis of what appears to be a waste deposit from an obsidian workshop at locale T-37, dating to the late Cantera phase (2600-2500 B.P.). Distributional analysis of the small deposit indicates rapid, if probably episodic deposition, and comparison with the lithic assemblage from the remainder of the site demonstrates this was definitely workshop debris. Detailed examination of core reduction techniques shows quite efficient reduction of prepared cores in blade production. The volume of debris could have been produced in a matter of months by part-time labor, with the output sufficient to supply Chalcatzingo and surrounding settlements with tools for up to a decade.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Lithic industries
Functional specialization areas
Organization and analysis of results of research
Environmental quality
traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Olmec
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2000
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Central Mexico
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Leon G. Doyon ; 2007
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1972-1976
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
2700 BP-2500 BP
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Chalcatzingo, Morelos State, Mexico
NotesAdditional notes
Susan S. Burton
For bibliographical references see Grove: 1987 (Document 3)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
85022673
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Olmecs