Experimental Improvements to the Volume Ratio and Quantifying Movement Using Stone Artefact Analysis

Abstract

Many conceptual frameworks of archaeological assemblages have assumed that stone artefact assemblages include all products of manufacture, use, and discard, although recent studies have indicated this is not always the case. The volume ratio is a method that examines the potential for the removal or addition of stone artefacts to an assemblage after manufacture. As humans transport material, and the movement of material effects the composition of assemblages, the alteration of an assemblage through the addition or removal of material can act as a proxy for mobility. This research uses three experimental assemblages to test the effect that different methods of volume quantification and reconstruction have on the calculation of the volume ratio. Results suggest observed assemblage volume is accurately and efficiently calculated using a standardised density of 2.46 g/cm3, while the modelled assemblage volume is relatively accurately calculated using either the Volumetric Reconstruction Method (VRM) or the Flake Volumetric Reconstruction Method (FVRM) with the potential for future research to further improve this methodology.

Keywords

• stone artefacts
• movement
• volume ratio
• photogrammetry
• experimental archaeology