VARIABILITY OF LITHIC FLAKING STRATEGIES:
Factors and Meaning
Frédéric SÉARA
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Lithic flaking strategies were defined based on the study of large lithic assemblages from well-preserved sites, sometimes with flaking concentrations. In these contexts with good potential for the realization of complex refittings, I was able to obtain very significant results. This analysis method, often ignored in analyses of Mesolithic assemblages, revealed previously unknown features in both the spatial organization and technology of the assemblages studied. These data are integrated into a chrono-cultural framework that constitutes a solid reference base. The determination of raw material types and their origins, a research axis that is well established in the region, contributed greatly to our interpretations. It is thus possible to address the question of the potential relationship between procurement distances and flaking strategies. The variability of the flaking strategies represented by the most significant refitting groups, composed of nearly one hundred pieces, does not appear to be very significant. Four broad, unequally represented, strategies were defined and raise the question of their justification based on criteria of a very different nature.