Lithics from Unit J5

James L. Walker – June 2021

reviewed Zj410 gB

Introduction

Lithic artifacts comrise 43% of the items excavated so far in Unit J5. The vast majority range from obsidian and chert blades (65) including debitage (28), to stones for grinding (63) and polishing (18). There were also four beads, four door sockets, and six lithic specimens.

Coincidentally, this is virtually the same percentage of lithic artifacts excavated in J2.

Small worked stone

Fragments of flint blades, scrapers, and other small tools, as well as the debitage from their manufacture were the single-most common items. None of the blades was complete. One may have been a projectile point. In addition they were widely distributed in space and time. There were only a few obsidian fragments found.

Obsidian Exemplars

q204.2

Flint Exemplars

q12.1

q376.1

Grinding and polishing stones

There were almost as many grinding stones as blades excavated. As with other types of items, most were widely scattered. However a13 comprised 12 whole and broken basalt pestals while i27 comprised two basalt pestals with a trace of bronze residue. There were a significant number of medium-sized stone polishing tools of various shapes. We identified them by at least one smooth surface.

Large Pestals

i18

i27.1

Polishing Stones

q11.1

q231.4

Beads

There were several beads excavated; two exemplars are presented.

Stone beads

i53

q24.2

Miscellaneus

There were several broken stone artifacts shaped roughly like stone donuts. See q436.1. Several uses have been proposed, including pivot stones for pottery wheels, door sockets, and soil tampers. Seven lithic samples were retained. The most unusual was a quartz crystal.