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
  • Ch. 01: Pathways to Prismatic Blades: Sources of Variation on in Mesoamerican Lithic Technology by Kenneth Hirth and Bradford Andrews
  • Ch. 02: Variation at the Source: Obsidian Exploitation at Sierra de las Navajas, Mexico by Alejandro Pastrana
  • Ch. 03: Producer Versus Consun1er: Prismatic Core-Blade Technology at Epiclassic/Early Postclassic Tula and Ucareo by Dan M. Healan
  • Ch. 04: Aztec Blade Production Strategies in the Eastern Basin of Mexico by William J. Party 
  • Ch. 05: Stone Tool Production at Teotihuacan: What More Can We Learn From Surface Collections? by Bradford Andrews 
  • Ch. 06: Production and Distribution of Obsidian Artifacts in Western Jalisco by Michael  W. Spence, Phil C. Weigand, and lfaria de los Dolores Sato de Arechavaleta 
  • Ch. 07: Provisioning Constraints and the Production of Obsidian Prismatic Blades at Xochicalco, Mexico by Kenneth Hirth
  • Ch. 08: 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
  • Ch. 09: Early Classic Obsidian Core-Blade Production: An Example from the Site of Dos Hombres, Belize by Rissa M. Trachman
  • Ch. 10: Core Blade Technology in Mesoamerican Prehistory by Kenneth Hirth and J. Jeffrey Flenniken