Archaeometry

Lithics are stone tools. Stone tools are capable of revealing information about sources of raw materials and ancient trade routes, usage (through wear patterns), function (from residues such as blood and plant material), and the evolution of craft specializations.

To determine how a tool was made, the archeologist may attempt to reproduce the tool in the laboratory (the traditional method), or take an analytic approach using models based on physics, fracture mechanics, and the physical properties of various materials.