Lithic Industry

In Archeology and in particular in prehistoric archeology, the expression lithic industry indicates the whole of the objects out of stone transformed intentionally by the human ones. In practice, this expression indicates the finished tools, the weapons but also the whole of the by-products related to their manufacture (Nucléus, outlines, some glare S, etc). On the other hand, it generally excludes the purely artistic productions (figurine of “Venus” for example).

The term Industrie is heard here according to its old meaning of “ Ensemble of the activities, the operations having for object the production and the exchange of the goods or the production of intended products to being used or consumed without being sold as a preliminary ” (TLF). The adjective lithic , of the Greek lithographies, means “stone simply”.

Lithic industries were used to define the various successive periods of the Préhistoire. For the old periods (Paleolithic average inferior and ), they constitute even the essential elements of definition with the chronological position and the possible datings. For the definition of the more recent periods, they always play a big role but are gradually accompanied by other elements of definition: osseous Industry (starting from the Paleolithic superior), Ceramic (starting from the Neolithic ), etc

For obvious reasons of problems of conservation of organic materials, lithic industry is often the only testimony of the prehistoric material culture which reached us. It is necessary however to keep present at the spirit that the stone was not the only material used to make tools. Many stone tools cut were not to function besides such as they are put at the day in the archeological sites but with handles as the traceologic studies attest it.

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