This book was originally published in 1984. For over a million years
rocks provided human beings with the essential raw materials for the
production of tools. Nevertheless we still know very little about the
behaviour and processes that resulted in the creation of archaeological
sites at or near lithic quarries. In the past archaeologists have placed
much emphasis on the process of 'exchange' in their analysis of
prehistoric economies while largely ignoring the sources of the
exchanged objects. However, with the development of interest in the
means of production, these sites have begun to take on a new
significance. Prehistoric Quarries and Lithic Production is the first
systematic study of archaeological sites that served as quarries for
stone tools. Its theoretical and methodological importance will extend
its appeal beyond those archaeologists concerned with lithic technology
and prehistoric exchange systems to archaeologists and anthropologists
in general and to geographers and geologists.