This presentation demonstrates the development of Crow Canyon Archaeological Center’s lithic analysis process. Since the establishment of Crow Canyon in 1983, the majority of lithic assemblages originated from agricultural villages dating from the Basketmaker III to Pueblo III periods. Unlike lithic studies in hunting and gathering societies, lithic assemblages, particularly debitage, derived from sedentary societies of the American Southwest are often described as “crude and clumsy” by archaeologists in general. To overcome the adverse connotation, Crow Canyon researchers focused on raw material identification and sourcing studies as a platform for their lithic analysis. By developing substantial lithological and sourcing data, the Center’s researchers are able to tackle topics of a sociopolitical organization from A.D. 600 to 1280 using lithic data in conjunction with pottery, tree-ring, and faunal data.
