Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Novicehood: Exploring Skill Level And How It Relates To Mass Analysis, Justin V. Morales

Honors College Theses

Lithic artifacts are among the most common remnants evidencing our ancestors’ intelligence and survivability. They can reflect many aspects of a culture’s practices and use of natural materials. The analysis of such remains is a mainstay of archaeology, but not all lithic analysis is the same. Analysis varies by method (mass flake analysis, individual flake analysis, etc.), and by the level of experience of the analysts themselves, creating debate on the comparability and the accuracy of each approach. This research is a case study of my effectiveness, being a novice level archaeologist, at Mass Flake analysis, using a contemporary collection …