Making and Identifying Stone Tools Workshop with Dr. Jay Reti

This workshop will address the fundamentals of Lithic Analysis (the study of stone tool technology). Participants will learn the basics of how to produce sharp-edged flakes from raw rock, how to identify markers on these flakes that demonstrate it was produced by a human, and will interact with examples of stone tool technology that spans 2.5 million years of human evolution. Hot drinks and light snacks will be provided, and participants are welcome to bring their own picnic lunch to enjoy on-site after the workshop.

Dr. Jay S. Reti is an archaeologist at UC Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Junior College. His research reconstructs how technology evolved and how technological systems were taught and inherited over time. Dr. Reti’s PhD research focused on two million-year-old stone tools found in Kenya and Tanzania, and he is a project researcher for Locality Research and Preservation.