Quantitative exploration of size variation and the extent of reduction in Sydney Basin assemblages: A tale from the Henry Lawson Drive rockshelter

A study of the artefact assemblage from the Henry Lawson Drive Rockshelter, a stratified midden deposit near Sydney excavated by Peter White in 1971, reveals new information about the temporal and morphological complexities of stone working technology in eastern Australia. Not only does this site provide further evidence of the presence of backed artefacts in this region more than 5000 years ago, it also reveals abundant production of backed artefacts during the last millennium. The site contains small implements and cores that can be interpreted as being more extensively reduced than assemblages reported from other sites in the region. Quantitative examinations of size and extent of reduction reveal that artefact assemblages in eastern New South Wales display variation which has yet to be characterised or explained.