Archeology Certification Workshops
Established in 1972 by the Arkansas Archeological Society and the Arkansas Archeological Survey, the Certification Program provides a means of obtaining formal extended training in various aspects of archeology outside of an academic degree program.
The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute is hosting the following certification seminar:
Arkansas Archeological Society Lithics Certification Course
February 13-15, 2009
Register now
From the time human beings have been on Earth, they have undoubtedly left behind possessions that, if preserved, could tell a story about their owners and the time period in which they lived. Although most of these ancient reminders have been lost to us for good, “lithics,” or tools made of stone, are artifacts discovered across the globe that have “stood the test of time” and now provide us documentation about the way of life during their use. These stone tools also paint a historic picture of Arkansas as well. The Native American presence from as far back as 13,500 years ago is represented almost entirely by chipped and ground stone tools and the waste flakes that were created from making them. Even for those more recent cultural periods in which low-temperature-fired clay pottery fragments remain, stone tools were still important, ranging from the tiny true arrow points to very large chipped stone hoes imported from near St. Louis.
It is therefore important to be able to understand these “lithic industries,” from finding the raw material to discarding a broken or worn out tool. This training is the focus of the Lithics Certification Course taught by the Arkansas Archeological Survey and the Arkansas Archeological Society. Lithics will be offered February 13-15, 2009, at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on Petit Jean Mountain.
The primary instructor for this workshop will be Mary Beth Trubitt, Henderson State University Station Archeologist with the Survey, and a lithics analysis expert. Topics that will be covered in a hands-on manner include identification of basic stone tool types and production processes for each, chipped versus ground stone tools, wear analysis, properties of raw materials, and how to recognize formal versus expedient tools. Participants must be members of the Arkansas Archeological Society.
Note: This class will not teach participants directly how to make stone tools but instead how to understand them as historical products of human cultures.
For questions and information about this course, contact Leslie C. “Skip” Stewart-Abernathy, WRI Station Archeologist with the Arkansas Archeological Survey, at (501) 727-6250 or send an e-mail.
