An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Hafting and Stone Tool Diversity among the Gamo of Ethiopia

Author: Weedman, Kathryn

Source: Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, Volume 13, Number 3, September 2006 , pp. 188-237(50)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

The significance of flaked stone tool variation has been a source of great archaeological debate for over 100 years. Even though evidence for stone tool hafting exists as far back as the Middle Paleolithic/Middle Stone Age, there is a dearth of information concerning how hafting affects stone tool technology. This ethnoarchaeological study of hafted stone scrapers among the Gamo of southern Ethiopia examines why a single cultural group utilizes two different hafts, which generate different lithic morphologies, technologies, and spatial distributions. The relationships between history, environment, and social group membership are explored to demonstrate how these associations create variation in technological practices.

Keywords: ethnoarchaeology; stone tools; hafting; agency

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10816-006-9010-4

Affiliations: 1: Email: kjw@stpt.usf.edu

Publication date: 2006-09-01