This book was originally published in 1984. For over a million years rocks provided human beings with the essential raw materials for the production of tools. Nevertheless we still know very little about the behaviour and processes that resulted in the creation of archaeological sites at or near lithic quarries. In the past archaeologists have placed much emphasis on the process of 'exchange' in their analysis of prehistoric economies while largely ignoring the sources of the exchanged objects. However, with the development of interest in the means of production, these sites have begun to take on a new significance. Prehistoric Quarries and Lithic Production is the first systematic study of archaeological sites that served as quarries for stone tools. Its theoretical and methodological importance will extend its appeal beyond those archaeologists concerned with lithic technology and prehistoric exchange systems to archaeologists and anthropologists in general and to geographers and geologists.

"This project is Shott's report on the extensive analysis of a large sample of flake debris and products from the Modena and Tempiute obsidian quarries in eastern Nevada. Archaeologists dealing with the mass of quarry material will find useful information about analyses of reduction, flake assemblages and preform data that should be transferrable to other quarry sites globally. Shott sought to "1) devise and implement efficient but rigorous (i.e. probabilistic) sample designs for spatially extensive, abundant quarry deposits; and 2) to test a behavioral-ecology model of the staging of resource use, the field-processing model (FPM)." However, data collection and initial analysis also required additional analyses be undertaken to appropriately address research questions. As a result, this manuscript details a "diverse and comprehensive set of methods to a large, systematically acquired dataset." It supports the conclusion that the Modena quarry was used by small groups though time"--

"This project is Shott's report on the extensive analysis of a large sample of flake debris and products from the Modena and Tempiute obsidian quarries in eastern Nevada. Archaeologists dealing with the mass of quarry material will find useful information about analyses of reduction, flake assemblages and preform data that should be transferrable to other quarry sites globally. Shott sought to "1) devise and implement efficient but rigorous (i.e. probabilistic) sample designs for spatially extensive, abundant quarry deposits; and 2) to test a behavioral-ecology model of the staging of resource use, the field-processing model (FPM)." However, data collection and initial analysis also required additional analyses be undertaken to appropriately address research questions. As a result, this manuscript details a "diverse and comprehensive set of methods to a large, systematically acquired dataset." It supports the conclusion that the Modena quarry was used by small groups though time"--

Lithic analysts have been criticised for being atheoretical in their approach, or at least for not contributing to the development of archaeological theory. Stone Tools' addresses this issue by presenting contributions that employ explicitly theoretical constructs to interpret the archaeological record.

Using a study of stone adzes of the precontact period on the island of Hawai'i, Lass examines the role of a material resource in the development of cultural complexity. Archaeological evidence is used to analyze the hypotheses that embrace the adaptationist and political approaches to increased complexity.

Lithic Technologies in SedentarySocieties examines lithic technology from ancient societies in Mesoamerica, the Near East, South Asia, and North America, showcasing the important contributions in-depth lithic analysis can make to the study of sedentary societies around the world. Using cutting-edge analytical techniques these case studies address difficult anthropological questions concerning economic, social, and political issues, as well as global trends in lithic production. Lithic analysis focused on sedentary societies, especially in places like Mesoamerica, has previously been neglected mostly because of the high frequency of informal tools, but such bias limits the ways in which both lithic production and economic organization are investigated. Bringing the importance of studying such technologies to the fore and emphasizing the vital anthropological questions that lithics can answer, Lithic Technologies in Sedentary Societies is a valuable resource for scholars and students of lithic technology and sedentary, complex societies. Contributors: Fumi Arakawa, Mary A. Davis, James Enloe, Dan Healan, Francesca Manclossi, Theodore Marks, Jayur Madhusudan Mehta, Jason S. R. Paling, Steve Rosen, John Whittaker