Archaeology
Identification Methods
A practical guide to the most common ways archaeologists identify stone artifacts and the materials theyโre made fromโwhat each method can (and canโt) tell you.
From field to lab
Identification is strongest when multiple lines of evidence agree. These steps outline a typical workflow for stone artifacts and raw materials.
01
Document context
Record provenience, stratigraphy, associations, and photographs. Context often narrows identification more than the object alone.
02
Describe the object
Measure, weigh, and note color, luster, grain size, fractures, and surface modifications (polish, striations, battering).
โA careful description is a method. It turns a โnice stoneโ into a testable observation.โ
03
Compare and test
Use reference collections, controlled experiments, and targeted lab methods (microscopy, geochemistry) to check hypotheses.
04
Report uncertainty
State confidence levels and alternatives. Identification is rarely absoluteโespecially for weathered or heat-altered materials.
Core methods
What to look for
These approaches are commonly used to identify stone materials and to distinguish natural pieces from artifacts. In practice, theyโre combined.
Macroscopic description
Start with what you can see: color, translucency, grain size, bedding, vesicles, fossils, and fracture style. Use consistent terms and note weathering.
Technological traits
For stone tools, look for platforms, bulbs of percussion, eraillure scars, dorsal scar patterns, retouch, and edge damage consistent with knapping.
Use-wear and residues
Microscopic polish, striations, and edge rounding can indicate worked materials (hide, wood, plant fibers). Residues may preserve starches, blood proteins, or plant silica (phytoliths).
Raw material sourcing
Compare to local geology and known quarry/outcrop sources. Petrography and geochemistry can link artifacts to specific formations or regions.