Flint patination

pueblo

Question: Can the flints pictured below (which were all found within a 1km radius) be assessed as having come from the same deposition due to their very similar patination?

jimmyarch

Hi Pueblo,

Short answer is no! Patination is dictated by chemical changes within the flint which seem to act regardless of depositional environment. In other words flints from the same depositional contexts will frequently have differing patina and flints from different depositional contexts may appear to have the same patina. All in all patination is not an index of depositional context.

The thing the is clear from these flints however is that they have spent considerable time in a watery context. This is evident from the rounded and smooth edges and smooth erris lines rather than from the patination!

Having said all of that patination is poorly understood, we can't really do experimental archaeology for patination as the process takes so long!!

slowburner

jimmyarch wrote: »

Hi Pueblo,

Short answer is no! Patination is dictated by chemical changes within the flint which seem to act regardless of depositional environment. In other words flints from the same depositional contexts will frequently have differing patina and flints from different depositional contexts may appear to have the same patina. All in all patination is not an index of depositional context.

The thing the is clear from these flints however is that they have spent considerable time in a watery context. This is evident from the rounded and smooth edges and smooth erris lines rather than from the patination!

Having said all of that patination is poorly understood, we can't really do experimental archaeology for patination as the process takes so long!!

Would you have a wild guess at a relationship between these lithics based on wear patterns?

jimmyarch

The only relationship that we can suggest from the condition of these lithics is that they have all spent some time in water, that's it!