Lithic raw material usage in the archaic Northeast : debitage analysis of the Gaudreau Site, Weedon, Quebec
The Archaic period in the Far Northeast is characterised by hunter-gatherer mobility strategies adapted to a closed forest, which offered diverse and abundant resources. This period can be identified archaeologically by its diverse lithic assemblage, consisting of both flaked and ground stone tools. The Gaudreau site in Weedon, Quebec, is a multicomponent site that includes an Archaic occupation. Successive occupations throughout the prehistoric period have led to extensive vertical and horizontal mixing of artefacts at the site. An initial analysis of  those objects diagnostic of particular time periods revealed spatial patterns that allowed for a fifty square metre sample area to be defined for study of the Archaic lithic industry. Previous studies of the site’s Archaic artefacts guided the design of an analysis of debitage from this part of the site. For the three most abundant raw materials, a sample of five complete flakes was taken from each quadrant. For all other raw materials, the entire population of debitage was examined. Attributes were recorded from each individual piece of debitage examined and these data were aggregated along multiple axes to reveal patterns among different raw materials, flake types, and locations. This revealed key patterns in raw material and tool curation, the segmentation of the reduction sequence, and resource procurement strategies. The study revealed that site inhabitants used materials sourced from within their regional network in a more expedient manner than those imported from beyond its limits, and treated prismatic materials differently than those that fractured conchoidally. The Gaudreau site inhabitants considered toolstone quality and procurement cost in making tool production choices in the context of the regional economy and on-site segmentation of the reduction sequence.
Far Northeast Archaic period Late Archaic lithic analysis debitage analysis flaked stone technology ground stone technology raw materials reduction sequence