Maltese lithic (stone implement) assemblages from the sixth and seventh millennia BCE exhibit notable characteristics. Nearly all implements were fashioned from limestone—mostly from beach cobbles—rather than superior chert or obsidian, and the assemblages predominantly comprise flakes produced through direct percussion, with negligible representation of cores, blades, or retouched tools. The fairly rudimentary nature of Malta’s lithic industry parallels contemporaneous Sardinian technologies rather than the sophisticated geometric microlith traditions documented in neighboring Sicily.
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hardWhich choice best states the main idea of the text?
A
Maltese stone tools from the sixth and seventh millennia BCE are notable for their relative simplicity and their similarity with stone tools produced in Sicily.
B
While not definitive evidence, the materials and methods used in the production of Maltese stone tools in the sixth and seventh millennia BCE are strongly suggestive of the exchange of lithic technology between Malta, Sardinia, and Sicily.
C
The characteristics of Maltese stone tools from the sixth and seventh millennia BCE are indicative of a level of lithic technological development that, while not uniquely low, was less advanced than that observed nearby in Sicily.
D
Although Malta, Sardinia, and Sicily all show evidence of lithic industry in the sixth and seventh millennia BCE, the characteristics of the stone tools in each location suggest three distinct levels of technological sophistication.