Archaeological discussions of the influence of aesthetic preferences in quotidian aspects of hunter-gatherer lives, including practical procurement and preparation activities, have been limited. Lithic technological discussions of heat-treating tend to focus on a prevailing logic that heat-treating was undertaken to improve the quality or knappability of lithic material. In this paper, we discuss a small lithic site from the Lower Saint John River Valley in south-central New Brunswick, Canada where the observation of anomalies in colour patterning of a local lithic material, Washademoak Multi-coloured Chert or, Washademoak Chert, indicated heat-treating was occurring at the site. An experimental heat-treating study was conducted to test whether heat-treating improved the quality of Washademoak Chert and to understand the duration and intensity of heating; however, results suggest heat-treating does not improve the quality of Washademoak Chert. Using lithic technological data and statistical analysis, we argue that heat-treating in this context was conducted to transform the colour of Washademoak Chert to aesthetically preferable colours—ones which reflect contemporary Indigenous perceptions of colour. These results provide valuable insights into the level of influence that aesthetic and cultural decisions may have had for hunter-gatherers.

考古学对美学偏好在狩猎和采集生活的日常活动中的影响的讨论，包括实际的采购和准备活动，一直受到限制。热处理的岩石技术讨论倾向于集中于一种流行的逻辑，即进行热处理以提高片状材料的质量或可焊性。在本文中，我们讨论了一个位于加拿大新不伦瑞克省中南部的圣约翰河下游河谷的小型石器遗址，在该石器中观察到了当地石器材料（Washademoak多色Cher石或Washademoak ak石）的颜色图案异常。现场进行了热处理。进行了一项实验性热处理研究，以测试热处理是否可以改善Washademoak Chert的质量并了解加热的持续时间和强度。但是，结果表明热处理不能改善Washademoak Chert的质量。利用石板技术数据和统计分析，我们认为在这种情况下进行了热处理，以便将Washademoak Chert的颜色转换为美学上更喜欢的颜色-反映当代土著对颜色的感知。这些结果为审美和文化决策可能对狩猎采集者的影响程度提供了宝贵的见解。我们认为，在这种情况下进行热处理是为了将Washademoak Chert的颜色转换为美学上更喜欢的颜色-反映当代土著人对颜色的看法。这些结果为审美和文化决策可能对狩猎采集者的影响程度提供了宝贵的见解。我们认为，在这种情况下进行热处理是为了将Washademoak Chert的颜色转换为美学上更喜欢的颜色-反映当代土著对颜色的感知。这些结果为审美和文化决策可能对狩猎采集者的影响程度提供了宝贵的见解。