Diachronic changes in extraction and production are particularly difficult to detect from surface materials at raw material sources because source locations are characterized by an abundance of non-diagnostic artifacts from an early stage of production. Test excavations in stratified desposits in production areas can provide diachronic evidence of changing reduction methods in the form of measurable differences in reduction strategies used in different time periods. Further, such excavations provide temporal control that may link production evidence to the regional archaeological sequence, particularly if datable materials are found in stratified contexts.

The surface survey data that reviewed in Ch. 6 will be complemented with temporal data from selected excavation units. In total, eight 1x1m test units were excavated in three areas of the 2003 survey, and profiles were cleaned and mapped at two additional locations. Basic analyses were completed on the materials from all of these test units. Subsequently, detailed attribute analyses were conducted on materials from five of the units. The analysis results of the five most well-stratified and informative test units will be presented here.