The Lithic Production System of the Princess Point Complex during the Transition to Agriculture in Southwestern Ontario, Canada

Description

This study examines the lithic production systems of the Princess Point Complex of southwestern Ontario, Canada, which represents a transitional culture from the Middle to Late Woodland in northeast North America (ca. AD 500-1,000). The analyses aim to reconstruct the pattern of Princess Point lithic production, and to explore the transformation of lithic production in relation to the emergence of food production in the study region. The lithic data comes from a three-year field investigation at the Grand Banks, Lone Pine, and Young 1 sites. The results of lithic analyses demonstrate that the Grand Banks industry represents a generalized stone tool production. It suggests that the shift from specialized to generalized stone tool production, as a long-term technological change, is likely associated with the introduction of horticulture.