Knappable lithic resources of North-Western Romania: A mineralogical study

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify and characterise some of the raw materials in NW Romania which have been suggested as having been used for knapping tools. The materials cropping out in this area include jasper, chalcedony, and perlite. The basic characteristics of the materials, obtained by macroscopic, microscopic, and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) investigations provide a reference database useful in provenance studies on individual artefacts or whole assemblages. An assessment of each material is made regarding its quality as a knappable material.

Keywords

• knappable material
• lithic tools
• jasper
• perlite
• chalcedony
• lithotheque
• eastern carpathians
• nw romania