Flaked Stone

RJ Sliva has been Desert Archaeology’s lead flaked stone analyst since 1994, conducting analyses that record a range of technical and design data from stone tools, the raw materials used to make them, and the byproducts generated during their manufacture to investigate the social behaviors, cultural affiliations, and demographics of past peoples.

Sliva has developed detailed projectile point typologies for the region that are in widespread use. The typology built for the Early Agricultural period in particular addresses population migration and changes in the ways migrants integrated into local populations. It is also useful for chronological assessments of preceramic contexts. Sliva developed analytical techniques for using debitage (unmodified flake) data to infer details about the technological traditions employed by past peoples, including the organization of individual workspaces, the relative amount of working time represented by lithic assemblages, and the conscious and unconscious manufacturing signatures of larger social groups.

Published works include a technical manual on general flaked stone analysis procedures and a projectile point monograph that includes a typological guide to the points made by early farmers in the Southwest.

Analysis services for CRM professionals and academic projects are available on a contract basis, including full assemblage analysis, projectile point identification, and artifact imaging. Email us for availability, scheduling, and current rates.