Summary

A Record in Stone is a comprehensive investigation into the different ways in which archaeologists use flaked stone artefacts as a basis for reconstructing the distant human past.

Authors Simon Holdaway and Nicola Stern not only describe the range of flaked stone artefact forms recovered from Australian archaeological sites, but also place Australian studies alongside the major international theories surrounding the description of stone artefacts.

A Record in Stone features:

• extensive analysis, clear and succinct definitions of technical terms and extensive use of illustrations
• worked examples illustrating how collections of flakes, cores and tools are analysed and interpreted
• over 130 black and white labelled images of actual artefacts
• an accompanying CD-ROM featuring more than 450 colour images of artefacts
• an up-to-date review of key theoretical approaches to flaked stone artefact analysis
• an assessment of the historical development of Australian stone artefact studies
• Australian perspective on the major international theoretical debates in the often controversial area of stone artefact studies.

Reviews and endorsements

'A beautifully crafted account of the nature of Australian stone artifacts set in their intellectual and ethnographical perspective. Clear, concise illustrations, coupled with elegant summaries, make this book a must for professional archaeologists, students and enthusiastic amateurs alike.'

_{— Professor Carmel Schrire, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey}