Australian Archaeology

Australian Archaeology

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Full Citation Details:

Sullivan, M.E. 1980. On lithic terminology. 'Australian

Archaeology', no.10, 102-103.

ON LITHIC TERMINOLOGY

M.E. S u l l i v a n

L i t h i c i s a t e r m which h a s long been used by g e o l o g i s t s t o r e f e r t o s e d i m e n t a r y o r p r e c i p i t a t e d r o c k s which c o n t a i n a n abundance o f rock f r a g m e n t s embedded w i t h i n t h e cemented m a t r i x ( e . g . P e t t i j o h n 1957:316). Such r o c k s i n c l u d e l i t h i c s a n d s t o n e s , l i t h i c t u f f s , greywackes, o r t h o q u a r t z i t e s , a r k o s e s , s i l c r e t e s and d e t r i t a l o r secondary l i m e s t o n e s .

L i t h i c i s a l s o a term used by some a r c h a e o l o g i s t s when r e f e r r i n g t o s t o n e i n a r c h a e o l o g i c a l s i t e s , b u t w i t h i n t h i s d i s c i p l i n e t h e term i s more l o o s e l y d e f i n e d . Two p o i n t s o f view seem t o be e x p r e s s e d by a r c h a e o l o g i s t s whom I have known t o comment on t h e s u b j e c t o f 'what i s a l i t h i c ? ' One view i s t h a t a l i t h i c i s a s t o n e which shows s i g n s o f having been m o d i f i e d by human a c t i v i t y i . e . worked. L i t h i c s i n t h i s sense would i n c l u d e f l a k e d and ground s t o n e a r t e f a c t s , and t h e waste m a t e r i a l o r d e b i t a g e r e s u l t i n g from t h e s e m a n u f a c t u r i n g p r o c e s s e s . The o p p o s i n g view would b e t h a t a l i t h i c i s any p i e c e o f s t o n e which a r r i v e d i n i t s p o s i t i o n t h r o u g h human agency, and was not d e p o s i t e d by some n a t u r a l t r a n s p o r t i n g a g e n t such a s flowing w a t e r .

Many a r e a s i n A u s t r a l i a have o u t c r o p s of d i s t i n c t i v e l i t h i c r o c k s . Those with which I am f a m i l i a r i n c l u d e a r k o s e s i n c e n t r a l A u s t r a l i a , l i t h i c bands i n s a n d s t o n e s i n t h e Grampians and Otway Ranges o f V i c t o r i a and t h e Blue Mountains o f New South Wales, and even a l i t h i c s i l c r e t e n e a r Abercrombie i n New South Wales.

P r e h i s t o r i c a r c h a e o l o g i c a l s i t e s w i t h i n any o f t h e s e r e g i o n s , o r t h o s e i n s i m i l a r g e o l o g i c a l s e t t i n g s , c o u l d t h u s b e e x p e c t e d t o y i e l d l i t h i c l i t h i c s , a s w e l l a s t h e more commonly o c c u r r i n g n o n - l i t h i c l i t h i c s which a r e found i n t h e m a j o r i t y o f p r e h i s t o r i c a r c h a e o l o g i c a l s i t e s . The q u e s t i o n which t h e n t r o u b l e s me, when d e a l i n g w i t h s t o n e , is how t o r e c o g n i s e and c l a s s i f y a l i t h i c n o n - l i t h i c o r indeed a n o n - l i t h i c n o n - l i t h i c o c c u r r i n g w i t h i n t h e s i t e .

The V i c t o r i a A r c h a e o l o g i c a l S u r v e y (1977:6) g o e s some way towards d i s p e l l i n g t h e c o n f u s i o n by d e f i n i n g l i t h i c s a s

'

a n y t h i n g made o f s t o n e '

.

Thus Dan W i t t e r ( p e r s . c o r n . ) h a s p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h i s would mean a s i n g l e rock c o l l e c t e d from an A b o r i g i n a l h e a r t h should be bagged a s a s t o n e , b u t t h e e n t i r e h e a r t h i f c o l l e c t e d would become a l i t h i c . S e v e r a l h e a r t h s i n c l o s e p r o x i m i t y would t h u s o f c o u r s e r e p r e s e n t a l i t h i c assemblage.

I t could be t h a t t h e Old English* o r Old Saxon* o r i g i n s of t h e word s t o n e have r e n d e r e d i t an u n s u i t a b l e word f o r New World a r c h a e o l o g i s t s , i n which c a s e t h e l e s s o f f e n s i v e G r e e k - o r i g i n a t i n g *

l i t h i c could simply r e p l a c e t h e E n g l i s h word. I f t h i s i s t h e c a s e however, t h e r e may b e r e a s o n s f o r A u s t r a l i a n a r c h a e o l o g i s t s t o r e j e c t t h e New World term and r e t u r n t o t h e u e e o f s t o n e . Having b a r e l y emerged from o u r second phase o f c o l o n i s a t i o n we should n o t

*

^The Concise Oxford D i c t i o n a r y , 6 t h e d i t . 1968 Archived at Flinders University: dspace.flinders.edu.au

be t o o e a g e r t o embrace t h e s h a c k l e s o f t h e New World c o l o n i a l power. A f t e r a l l we have now grown accustomed t o s p e a k i n g E n g l i s h .

T h e r e f o r e i n t h e absence o f a c o r n o n l y a c c e p t a b l e d e f i n i t i o n o f l i t h i c , I b e l i e v e t h a t A u s t r a l i a n a r c h a e o l o g i s t s working a t t h e r e s e a r c h f r o n t i e r s o f p r e h i s t o r y would be a d v i s e d t o use s t o n e r a t h e r t h a n l i t h i c s , i f o n l y b e c a u s e t h e l a t t e r a r e g e n e r a l l y t o o s o f t t o s u s t a i n t h e c u t t i n g edge.

Department o f P r e h i s t o r y and A n t h r o p o l o g y , ANU

BIBLIOGRAPHY

P e t t i j o h n , F.J. 1957 Sedimentary Rocks. 2nd e d i t . H a r p e r and Row:

New York, 718 pp.

V i c t o r i a A r c h a e o l o g i c a l Survey 1 9 7 7 A g l o s s a r y o f u s e f u l

a r c h a e o l o g i c a l t e r n s . V.A.S. Tech. S e r . No.3. Melbourne, 11 PP

Archived at Flinders University: dspace.flinders.edu.au