What is a Burin? Typology, Technology, and Interregional Comparison

Author: Tomá scirc ková, Silvia

Source: Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, Volume 12, Number 2, June 2005 , pp. 79-115(37)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

Classification of artifacts has long marked a significant edge between theory and practice in archaeology. While considering classification to be a necessary methodological device, most practitioners also recognize that it carries with it built-in assumptions. This essay approaches the issue by way of a specific stone tool type from Old World sites: the burin. By asking “what is a burin?” the study shows the need to reconsider typologies to reflect changes in research questions and progress in dating methods, especially when working with museum collections and secondary data between regions and across national traditions, and the need to study whole collections from the perspective of technological choices.

Keywords: typological classification; technology; tool life history; interregional comparisons

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10816-005-5666-4

Affiliations: 1: Curriculum in Women’s Studies and the Department of Anthropology, 301 Alumni Bldg., CB #3115, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Email: tomas@unc.edu

Publication date: 2005-06-01