Quarrying in a Tribal Society

TitleQuarrying in a Tribal Society
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication1984
AuthorsBurton, J.
JournalWorld Archaeology
Volume16
Issue2
Pagination234-247
AbstractIn the Papua New Guinea highlands several groups of axe makers living in what may be terrried'factory areas' have in the recent past operated axe quarries and nnines that may directly b~:compared with those of the last stone-using period in Europe (as in many other parts of tileworld) for type of product, scale of output, and method of engineering. At several sites, thousandsof tonnes of rock were excavated at each of a number of mining pits, and axes weretraded over a 250 km radius from their sources. Nowhere were these operations directed by acentral authority; they were co-operative ventures in so,.called egalitarian, tribal societics, I11the context of discussions aboui. the emergence of central places and central persons, ii is orno small interest to ask the question, how were such feats of organisation accomplished?