Comparative Archaeology Database, University of Pittsburgh
URL: http://www.cadb.pitt.edu
Email: cadb@pitt.edu

Upper Daling Region Settlement Dataset
Christian E. Peterson, Lu Xueming, Robert D. Drennan, and Zhu Da


Lithic Artifacts Data from Stratigraphic Tests

The data files LITHEXC.TXT and LITHEXC.XLS contain complete data on the lithic artifacts recovered from each excavation unit in the stratigraphic tests.

LITHEXC.TXT is a comma-delimited ASCII text file, which should be easy to import into spreadsheet, database, and statistical programs for manipulation and analysis. LITHEXC.XLS contains the same data in the form of an Excel spreadsheet which is easier to browse, and can also be imported into many programs. Each line represents one excavation unit. There are 151 lines, each with 54 variables separated by commas. The variables are, in the following order:

1 Test ID. A two-letter designation that identifies each of the 1 by 2 m stratigraphic tests. The first letter is always X or Y.
2 Excavation unit. A two-digit number referring to the individual excavation unit within a stratigraphic text. Generally corresponds to a level approximately 10 cm deep, although where stratigraphy indicated, these were subdivided in various ways. The exact form of each excavation unit is shown on the profiles in the Magnetometry and Stratigraphic Testing section of this dataset. In each test, Unit 01 was always a surface collection made before beginning to excavate. Numbers increase downwards in each test.
3 Key. The Test ID and the Excavation unit number combined into a single string.
4 Stratum. The number corresponding to the cultural stratum identified in the excavation profile after excavation was completed. These stratum numbers appear in the profiles in the Magnetometry and Stratigraphic Testing section of this dataset. These are the meaningful analytic units into which excavation units were combined following excavation. In some cases there is a one-to-one correspondence between an excavation unit and the cultural stratum to which it is assigned. In most instances, multiple excavation units are combined into a single meaningful cultural stratum. Strata are numbered from top (most recent) to bottom (oldest). Stratum numbers in different tests do not correspond, except for Tests XD and XL, which are adjacent. A blank in this column means that the excavation unit was not assigned to any cultural stratum. Excavation Unit 01 (the surface collection prior to excavation always became Stratum 0.
5 Total lithics. Count of the total number of lithic artifacts, including formal tools and debitage.
6 Number of formal tools.
7 Number of formal tools made of raw material of "good" quality.
8 Number of formal tools made of raw material of "poor" quality.
9 Number of formal tools made by flaking (can co-occur with grinding and/or pecking).
10 Number of formal tools made by grinding (can co-occur with flaking and/or pecking).
11 Number of formal tools made by pecking (can co-occur with grinding and/or flaking).
12 Number of abraders.
13 Number of awls and drills.
14 Number of axes and adzes.
15 Number of blades.
16 Number of retouched blades.
17 Number of retouched flakes.
18 Number of unifacial scrapers.
19 Number of bifacial scrapers.
20 Number of choppers.
21 Number of blade cores..
22 Number of unidirectional flake cores.
23 Number of multidirectional flake cores.
24 Number of projectile points.
25 Number of blanks.
26 Number of edges with angles less than 25 degrees (total for blades, knives, flakes, and scrapers)
27 Number of edges with angles of 25-44 degrees (total for blades, knives, flakes, and scrapers)
28 Number of edges with angles of 45-65 degrees (total for blades, knives, flakes, and scrapers)
29 Number of edges with angles greater than 65 degrees (total for blades, knives, flakes, and scrapers)
30 Total number of pieces of debitage.
31 Number of pieces of deibtage of raw material of "good" quality.
32 Number of pieces of debitage of raw material of "poor" quality.
33 Number of complete and broken flakes assigned to "core" manufacturing type, as defined by Bradbury and Carr (1999).
34 Number of complete and broken flakes assigned to "tool" manufacturing type, as defined by Bradbury and Carr (1999).
35 Number of complete flakes, as defined by Sullivan and Rozen (1985).
36 Number of broken flakes, as defined by Sullivan and Rozen (1985).
37 Number of flake fragments, as defined by Sullivan and Rozen (1985).
38 Number of pieces of shatter, as defined by Sullivan and Rozen (1985).
39 Weight (g) of all debitage in Size Grade 1 (caught in 1-inch screen).
40 Weight (g) of all debitage in Size Grade 2 (caught in 1/2-inch screen).
41 Weight (g) of all debitage in Size Grade 3 (caught in 1/4-inch screen).
42 Weight (g) of all debitage in Size Grade 4 (passes 1/4-inch screen).
43 Count of all debitage in Size Grade 1 (caught in 1-inch screen).
44 Count of all debitage in Size Grade 2 (caught in 1/2-inch screen).
45 Count of all debitage in Size Grade 3 (caught in 1/4-inch screen).
46 Count of all debitage in Size Grade 4 (passes 1/4-inch screen).
47 Count of debitage without cortex in Size Grade 1 (caught in 1-inch screen).
48 Count of debitage without cortex in Size Grade 2 (caught in 1/2-inch screen).
49 Count of debitage without cortex in Size Grade 3 (caught in 1/4-inch screen).
50 Count of debitage without cortex in Size Grade 4 (passes 1/4-inch screen).
51 Count of debitage with cortex in Size Grade 1 (caught in 1-inch screen).
52 Count of debitage with cortex in Size Grade 2 (caught in 1/2-inch screen).
53 Count of debitage with cortex in Size Grade 3 (caught in 1/4-inch screen).
54 Count of debitage with cortex in Size Grade 4 (passes 1/4-inch screen).

The first line of the ASCII text file, for example, looks like this:

XA,1,XA01,XA-0,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,1,0,1,1,0,1,0,0,0,20.80,0.00,0.00,0.00,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0

This means that the data belong to stratigraphic test XA, unit 1. Together these two variables combine to make key XA01. The Stratum is XA-0. The total number of lithic artifacts is 1. This artifact has been catalogued as debitage, and it is of poor quality. This artifact was assigned to the "core" flake manufacturing type. The artifact is complete. The weight of all debitage in Size Grade 1 (caught in 1-inch screen) is 20.80 grams. The debitage count for Size Grade 1 (caught in 1-inch screen) is 1. Finally, the debitage with cortex count for Size Grade 1 (caught in 1-inch screen) is 1. Since there is only one artifact, there are no weights or counts for Size Grades 2, 3, or 4.

The last, or 151st line of the ASCII text file is:

XZ,7,XZ07,XZ-3,1,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,1,0,1,0,0,0,0,1,0,0.00,0.00,1.30,0.00,0,0,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0

This means that the data belong to stratigraphic test XZ, unit 7. Together these two variables combine to make key XZ07. The Stratum is XZ-3. The total number of lithic artifacts is 1. This artifact has been catalogued as debitage, of poor quality, and it is a fragment. The weight of all debitage in Size Grade 3 (caught in 1/4-inch screen) is 1.30 grams. The debitage count for Size Grade 3 (caught in 1/4-inch screen) is 1. Finally, the debitage with cortex count for Size Grade 3 (caught in 1/4-inch screen) is 1. Since there is only one artifact, there are no weights or counts for Size Grades 1, 2, or 4.

Click here to download the file LITHEXC.TXT (16 KB) or the file LITHEXC.XLS (65 KB).


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