Macroscopic and Microscopic Analysis of Chert; A Proposal for Standardisation of Methodology and Terminology (original) (raw)

For the study of chert to be of use to archaeologists, researchers must adopt a standardised method of analysing, describing and cataloguing geological chert types and chert artefacts. It is the primary purpose of this article to propose a standardised system of analysis of chert in archaeology. In the proposed system, characteristics are of two categories - macroscopic and microscopic. Macroscopic analysis describe the following categories of characteristics: appearance, colour, pattern and cortex. Within each of these categories is a set of characteristics, each with specific means of measurement and terminology for recording measurements. There are five categories of microscopic characteristics to describe when viewing thin sections – structure, texture, matrix, grains and grain composition. It is hoped that such a system will be adopted and applied to both artefacts as well as geological samples of known provenience. By adopting a standardised methodology and terminology for the macroscopic and microscopic analysis of chert, archaeologists can improve the efficiency, the ease and the dissemination of their research.