Chaîne opératoire

[1][2][3] The chaîne opératoire was born out of archaeologists' interest in elevating lithic analysis beyond simple typology.

In a chaîne opératoire approach, archaeologists create a full biography of technologies, attempting to understand their craftsmanship and use in different social groups.

[5] Critics of chaîne opératoire argue that it is subjective because it is based upon the analyst's personal experience and intuition.

A second objection is that chaîne opératoire claims to be able to identify the intentions and goals of prehistoric knappers, including the "desired endproducts" of knapping sequences.

[10] A third major problem with the chaîne opératoire approach is that there is severe inconsistency in the application of definitions by lithic analysts.