Keeping What Works: The Continued Use of Stone Tools in the Eastern Mediterranean over Time
Stone tools have served a major role in human survival since their initial introduction over 2.5 million years ago. In part because of their lack of plasticity (compared to ceramics, for example), lithics exhibited relatively little change over long periods of time. This rigidity of form also conferred great benefits on lithics. With some modification, various stones could make extremely useful implements for cutting, scraping, drilling, incising, and abrading, grinding, or crushing various materials, even when compared to tools provided by new technologies. Indeed, both flaked and ground stone tools persisted over long periods even as new materials and technologies were introduced because their relatively low cost and high durability provided on-going value for people. Specifically, I have looked at the continuation of lithic technology from the end of the prehistoric period (Bronze Age) into subsequent historical phases (Archaic, Classical, Roman, Byzantine) in the eastern Mediterranean region. In some instances, such as with threshing sledges and the use of millstones to grind grains, the technology persisted well into the 20th century, and I also present examples of this phenomenon. The concepts that underlie this technological persistence are strategic thinking and economizing behavior on the part of people in cultures past and present.