|
Abstract
| Stone tool production was a fundamental aspect of many precontact cultures in North America,
with quarry sites offering valuable information on raw material procurement and the early stages
of stone tool manufacture. Hixton Silicified Sandstone (HSS), sourced from the Silver Mound
quarry in Wisconsin, has a long history of use, yet the criteria that guided its selection and usage
remain understudied. This study analyzes the beginning stages of stone tool production within a
donated collection, which is made up of artifacts gathered from fields around Silver Mound. To
assess the material properties of HSS, attributes such as grain size, sorting, and silicification
were recorded through visual and microscopic analysis. Further measurements, including
maximum length, width, thickness, weight, and edge angle, were taken to characterize three
distinct stages of manufacture. Statistical analysis performed here aims to determine which
material properties examined are the most highly correlated with lithic quality to create
inferences about how indigenous understanding of the variables may have affected procurement
and discard decisions. |
|
Use and reproduction restrictions
| This material may be protected by copyright law (e.g., Title 17, US Code). For more information about the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Murphy Library's copyright, fair-use, and permissions policies, please see https://digitalcollections.uwlax.edu/. |
