Pathways to Prismatic Blades: A Study in Mesoamerican Obsidian Core-Blade Technology


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Series: Monographs 45
ISBN: 978-0-917956-99-7
Publication Date: Dec 2002
Price: Pb $9.95, Ebook $10.00
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Kenneth Hirth and Bradford Andrews

The obsidian prismatic blade is one of the sharpest cutting implements ever produced in the prehistoric world. This volume explores the social and economic processes involved in its manufacture in ancient Mesoamerica. Contributors examine the variation in the way obsidian prismatic blades were manufactured across Mesoamerica and the causes behind this variation. The volume contributes to a broader understanding of prehistoric stone tool production and craft specialization in the ancient world.
Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Pathways to Prismatic Blades: Sources of Variation on in Mesoamerican Lithic Technology by Kenneth Hirth and Bradford Andrews

Chapter 2. Variation at the Source: Obsidian Exploitation at Sierra de las Navajas, Mexico by Alejandro Pastrana

Chapter 3. Producer Versus Consun1er: Prismatic Core-Blade Technology at Epiclassic/Early Postclassic Tula and Ucareo by Dan M. Healan

Chapter 4. Aztec Blade Production Strategies in the Eastern Basin of Mexico by William J. Party 

Chapter 5. Stone Tool Production at Teotihuacan: What More Can We Learn From Surface Collections? by Bradford Andrews 

Chapter 6. Production and Distribution of Obsidian Artifacts in Western Jalisco by Michael  W. Spence, Phil C. Weigand, and lfaria de los Dolores Sato de Arechavaleta 

Chapter 7. Provisioning Constraints and the Production of Obsidian Prismatic Blades at Xochicalco, Mexico by Kenneth Hirth

Chapter 8. Lithie Technology, Assemblage Variation, and the Organization of Production and Use of Obsidian on the South Gulf Coast of Veracruz, Mexico by Robert S. Santley and Thomas P. Barrett

Chapter 9. Early Classic Obsidian Core-Blade Production: An Example from the Site of Dos Hombres, Belize by Rissa M. Trachman

Chapter 10. Core Blade Technology in Mesoamerican Prehistory by Kenneth Hirth and J. Jeffrey Flenniken