The raw materials for making stone tools are distributed widely, if erratically, across the geographic extent of the Xuejiagang culture. There is much that we do not, as yet, know about the specific chains of operation followed for different tools and materials. However, already it is clear that those involved often chose their materials carefully, both in terms of quality and in relation to the kinds of tool being made. This was often related to the likely functions of implements, but was actually most marked in pieces produced specifically for use in funerary contexts. Exploitation patterns also seem to have varied. By combining evidence from production sites with geological mapping, it is clear that ready to hand materials were often identified and used. However, as patterns from Xuejiagang itself suggest, there was also the longer distance movement of materials and, perhaps in certain areas, differential access to particular materials, such as slate. More work needs to be done. However, the evidence we have hints at a complexity in patterns of raw material choice, production, circulation and deposition which may shed important light on the structure and complexity of the Xuejiagang culture over time.
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Last updated: Wed Jul 29 2009