By using hard hammer percussion, the experienced flintknapper has verygood control over where the flake will be detached and the size of the flake. Technically, the hammerstone must be made of a material that isharder that the core material so that it does not shatter in the flintknapper'shands. Inhard hammer flaking, the core is held in one hand, and struck with ahammerstone. Hard hammer percussion, as the name implies, relies on thesame principles, but provides more control over how the flake is detached. The principal disadvantages to the bipolar technique are that there is verylittle control over the flake making process, and it wastes a great deal of rawmaterial to get a few usable flakes.īoth of the techniques already discussed depend on percussion to remove aflake from a core. This technique is often found in areas wherethe only reliable source of workable stone is rounded river cobbles that areextremely hard to work in any other fashion. The compression from both ends of the core cause itto shatter into hundreds of flakes, some of which will be large enough, and ofthe right shape for use as tools. In bipolar flaking, the core is placed on the anvil for support, and then struckwith a large heavy hammer. The bipolar technique is a modification of the hammer and anvil technique. A second disadvantage is that theflakes removed in this manner fly up and away from the anvil, becoming verydangerous projectiles for anyone standing nearby. Theprincipal disadvantage is that the flintknapper does not have a great deal ofcontrol over the flake removal process. There are a number of disadvantages to the technique, however. This technique entails using the core as a hammer, and striking theedge of the core against a large, stationary rock (the anvil) in order to removea flake. It is quite effective for making largeflakes for direct use as tools, or for use as blanks from which shaped tools canbe made. The hammer and anvil technique for removing flakes from a core is perhapsone of the oldest documented methods. The following sections will explain each of these techniques in turn. There are four basic techniques that have been employed in the manufactureof stone tools. Basic Techniques Lithic Technology 5 - Basic Techniques
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |