Lithic raw material studies and raw material analysis are basic tools which can contribute to archaeological analysis on many levels. I hope that the information presented here will contribute to more productive analyses by helping us work together more consistently and productively, sharing a set of ideas on the raw material resource base and on basic approaches to raw material analysis. There will be areas of disagreement; I welcome these, and the chance to debate and revise the ideas which have been presented above.
This paper presents, within practical limits, the current state of knowledge on the raw material resource base in the state. It also attempts to provide a context for understanding lithic raw material availability and utilization patterns, and suggests certain approaches to lithic raw material analysis which I believe can be productive. Although it represents the work on many people over the course of many years, it should also make obvious the fact that there is more work to be done. This paper should highlight what we do not know, as well as what we do know. If it contributes to more productive research and discussion, it should lead to its own obsolescence. I hope that, in the course of the next few years, a substantially revised version is required.
Acknowledgements. The information presented in this paper is the product of many years of research by many people. Wherever possible I have acknowledged their contributions by citing their work. However, a great deal of information on the topic of lithic raw materials is not published, and is traded in notes, conversations and other ways that are hard to document. I hope that I have not overlooked any contributions.
I would like to express special appreciation to LeRoy Gonsior and Tony Romano who, with their considerable expertise, helped keep me on the straight and narrow. Thanks also to George Christianson, Dan Higgenbottom, Brian Hoffman, Jon Nelson and Dean Sather for information on lithic raw materials, and to Stacy Allan, Kelly Gragg, Craig Johnson, Donna McMaster and Jonathon Sellers for reviewing various versions of this paper and making suggestions. Thanks to Stacy Allan, Pat Emerson, Grant Goltz , LeRoy Gonsior, Mike Justin, Bruce Koenen, Donna McMaster, Les Peterson, Dean Sather and Doug Welsh for help with collecting samples. And thanks also to my late colleague and friend Riaz Malik, for his help and encouragement.
Author's Note. A summary of this paper was delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, 3-7 May 1995, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This paper is a revision of a draft originally prepared for a workshop on lithic raw materials held at the Institute for Minnesota Archaeology in January of 1992, and initially revised for a similar workshop at Moorhead State University in October 1994. It represents research in progress. Although I have tried to ensure that the information it contains is complete and accurate, some information is still incomplete and parts will be subject to significant revision. Comments and questions are welcome, and may be addressed to the me at: Interdisciplinary Archaeological Studies, University of Minnesota, 215 Ford Hall, 224 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
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