Ancient stone tools

A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made of stone. The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric time period during which Humans widely used stone for toolmaking The more Anthropomorphic Primates of the Hominini tribe are placed in the Hominina subtribe The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts is the period in the Geologic timescale that extends The term Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) (from Greek παλαιός palaios, " Old " and λίθος Lithos, "stone" The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Homo is the Genus that includes modern humans and their close relatives The control of Fire by early humans was a turning point in human cultural evolution that allowed for humans to proliferate due to the incorporation The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, The Neanderthal (neɪˈændərtɑːl also with /niː-/ and /-θɔːl/ or Neandertal, is an extinct member of the Homo genus that is known from The term Archaic Homo sapiens refers generally to the earliest members of the species Homo sapiens. In Paleoanthropology, the recent African origin of modern humans is one of two hypotheses of the origin of anatomically modern humans Homo sapiens sapiens The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa Behavioral modernity is a term used in Anthropology, Archeology and Sociology to refer to a list of traits that distinguish present day humans and their An atlatl (from Nahuatl ahtlatl; in English pronounced or) or spear-thrower is a Tool that uses Leverage to achieve greater velocity The origin of the domestic dog is the history of the ancestry and the Domestication of the Dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age A microlith is a small stone tool typically knapped of Flint or Chert, usually about three centimetres long or less They are typically one Centimetre A bow is a Weapon that projects arrows powered by the elasticity of the bow A canoe is a small narrow Boat, typically human-powered though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (short PPNA around 9000 BC represents the early Neolithic in the Levantine and upper Mesopotamian region of the Fertile The Neolithic Revolution was the first Agricultural revolution &mdashthe transition from hunting and gathering communities and bands to Agriculture and Domestication (from Latin domesticus) refers to the process whereby a Population of Animals The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos Pottery is the Ceramic ware made by potters It also refers to a group of materials that includes Earthenware, Stoneware The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos ' Copper stone' period or Copper Age period known as the '''Eneolithic''' ('''Æneolithic''' is a Metallurgy is a domain of Materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their There are a number of hypotheses on many of the key issues regarding the domestication of the horse. A wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load ( Mass) or performing labour in machines The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for A broader definition of a tool is an entity used to interface between two or more domains that facilitates more effective action of one domain upon the other In Geology, rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of Minerals and/or Mineraloids The Earth's outer solid layer the ‘ Lithosphere Although stone-tool-dependent cultures exist even today, most stone tools are associated with prehistoric societies that no longer exist. Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic Stone Age Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens, Early human migrations "Paleolithic"

The study of stone tools is often called lithic analysis by archaeologists. In Archaeology, lithic analysis is the analysis of Stone tools and other Chipped stone artifacts using basic scientific techniques Stone tools may be made of chipped stone or ground stone. In Archaeology, chipped stone refers to a method of manufacturing Stone tools through Lithic reduction, wherein Lithic flakes are struck off a In Archaeology, ground stone is a category of Stone tool formed by the grinding of a coarse-grained Tool stone, either purposely or incidentally A person who makes chipped stone implements is called a flintknapper. A knapper is a person who shapes Flint, Chert, Obsidian or other stone through the process of knapping or Lithic reduction to manufacture In addition to tools, many minerals were used to make arrow heads and spear points. Arrow heads are sharpened or flintknapped stones, flakes and chips of rock that are sharpened enough for the tip of an arrow

Chipped stone tools are made from cryptocrystalline materials such as chert, radiolarite, chalcedony, basalt, quartzite and obsidian via a process known as lithic reduction. Cryptocrystalline is a rock texture which is so finely crystalline being made up of such minute Crystals that its crystalline nature is only vaguely revealed Chert (ˈtʃɝt is a fine-grained Silica -rich Microcrystalline, Cryptocrystalline or Microfibrous Sedimentary rock that may contain Radiolarite is a high Silica Sedimentary rock which may be considered a variety of Chert. Chalcedony is a Cryptocrystalline form of Silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of the minerals Quartz and Moganite. Basalt (bəˈsɔːlt ˈbeisɔːlt ˈbæsɔːlt is a common Extrusive Volcanic rock. Quartzite (from German Quarzit) not to be confused with the Mineral Quartz, is a hard Metamorphic rock which was originally Obsidian is a naturally occurring Glass formed as an extrusive Igneous rock. Lithic reduction involves the use of a hard hammer percussor such as a Hammerstone, a soft hammer fabricator (made of Wood, Bone or Antler) One simple form of reduction is to strike stone flakes from a nucleus (core) of material using a hammerstone or similar hard hammer fabricator. Archaeology, a lithic flake is a "portion of rock removed from an objective piece by percussion or pressure" and may also be referred to as a chip or spall or collectively In Archaeology, a hammerstone is a hard Cobble used to strike Lithic flakes off a lump of Tool stone during the process of Lithic reduction If the goal of the reduction strategy is to produce flakes, the remnant lithic core may be discarded once it has become too small to use. In Archaeology, a lithic core is a distinctive artifact that results from the practice of Lithic reduction. In some strategies, however, a flintknapper reduces the core to a rough unifacial or bifacial preform, which is further reduced using soft hammer flaking techniques or by pressure flaking the edges. A knapper is a person who shapes Flint, Chert, Obsidian or other stone through the process of knapping or Lithic reduction to manufacture In Archeology, a uniface is a specific type of stone tool that has been flaked on one surface only In archaeology a biface is a two-sided Stone tool, manufactured through a process of Lithic reduction, that displays flake scars on both sides A preform is material that has undergone preliminary shaping but is not yet in its final form Lithic reduction involves the use of a hard hammer percussor such as a Hammerstone, a soft hammer fabricator (made of Wood, Bone or Antler) More complex forms of reduction include the production of highly standardized blades, which can then be fashioned into a variety of tools such as scrapers, knives, sickles and microliths. A knife is a handheld sharp-edged instrument consisting of handle attached to a Blade used for cutting A sickle is a hand-held Agricultural Tool with a curved Blade typically used for harvesting grain crop or cutting grass for Hay. A microlith is a small stone tool typically knapped of Flint or Chert, usually about three centimetres long or less They are typically one Centimetre In general terms, chipped stone tools are nearly ubiquitous in all pre-metal-using societies because they are easily manufactured, the tool stone is usually plentiful, and they are easy to transport and sharpen. In Archaeology, a tool stone is a type of stone that is used to manufacture Stone tools Generally speaking tools that require a sharp edge are made using Cryptocrystalline

Paleolithic tools

Flint (tool)

Prehistoric stone-working techniques of the Palaeolithic are divided into four 'Modes' ^[1],

The Mode 1 industries (Oldowan, Clactonian) created rough flake tools by hitting a suitable stone with a hammerstone. Chipped stone tools were made by Stone age peoples worldwide Paleolithic tools were relatively simple repeated small flakes being struck or pressed from a cobble The term Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) (from Greek παλαιός palaios, " Old " and λίθος Lithos, "stone" Oldowan (earlier spelled Olduwan or sometimes Oldawan) is an anthropological designation for an industrial complex of Stone tools used by The Clactonian is the name given by Archaeologists to an industry of European flint tool manufacture that dates to the early part of the Interglacial period In Archaeology a flake tool is a type of Stone tool created by striking a flake from a prepared stone core. In Archaeology, a hammerstone is a hard Cobble used to strike Lithic flakes off a lump of Tool stone during the process of Lithic reduction The resulting flake would have a natural sharp edge for cutting and could afterwards be sharpened further by striking another smaller flake from the edge if necessary (known as retouch). These early toolmakers may also have worked the stone they took the flake from (known as a core) to create chopper cores although there is some debate over whether these items were tools or just discarded cores. In Archaeology, a lithic core is a distinctive artifact that results from the practice of Lithic reduction. In Archaeology a chopper core is a suggested type of Stone tool created by using a Lithic core as a chopper following the removal of

The Mode 2 (eg Acheulean) toolmakers also used the Mode 1 flake tool method but supplemented it by also using wood or bone implements to pressure flake fragments away from stone cores to create the first true hand-axes. Acheulean (also spelled Acheulian,) is the name given to an Archaeological industry of Stone tool manufacture associated with prehistoric Hominins Lithic reduction involves the use of a hard hammer percussor such as a Hammerstone, a soft hammer fabricator (made of Wood, Bone or Antler) The use of a soft hammer made from wood or bone also resulted in more control over the shape of the finished tool. Unlike the earlier Mode 1 industries, the core was prized over the flakes that came from it. Another advance was that the Mode 2 tools were worked symmetrically and on both sides indicating greater care in the production of the final tool.

Mode 3 technology emerged towards the end of Acheulean dominance and involved the Levallois technique. The Levallois technique is a name given by Archaeologists to a distinctive type of flint knapping developed by humans during the Palaeolithic period It is commonly associated with Neanderthal Mousterian industry. The Neanderthal (neɪˈændərtɑːl also with /niː-/ and /-θɔːl/ or Neandertal, is an extinct member of the Homo genus that is known from Mousterian is a name given by archaeologists to a style of predominantly Flint tools (or industry) associated primarily with Homo neanderthalensis The long blades of the Upper Palaeolithic Mode 4 industries appeared during the Upper Palaeolithic. In Archaeology a blade is a type of Stone tool created by striking a long narrow flake from a stone core. The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa

Polished stone tools

An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools.

Five types of tools found in Ecuador

Ground stone tools became important during the Neolithic period. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos These ground or polished implements are manufactured from larger-grained materials such as basalt, greenstone and some forms of rhyolite which are not suitable for flaking. Basalt (bəˈsɔːlt ˈbeisɔːlt ˈbæsɔːlt is a common Extrusive Volcanic rock. This page is about a volcanic rock For the ghost town see Rhyolite Nevada, and for the satellite system see Rhyolite/Aquacade. The greenstone industry was important in the English Lake District, and is known as the Langdale axe industry. The Lake District, also known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a rural area in North West England. The Langdale axe industry is the name given by archaeologists to the centre of a specialised Stone tool manufacturing at Great Langdale in England 's Ground stone implements included adzes, celts, and axes, which were manufactured using a labour-intensive, time-consuming method of repeated grinding against an abrasive stone, often using water as a lubricant. An adze or adz (ædz is a tool used for smoothing rough-cut Wood in hand Woodworking. Celt tool Transyslvaniajpg|right|thumb|250px|Celts from Transylvania The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape split and cut Wood, Harvest timber, as a Weapon Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. Because of their coarse surfaces, some ground stone tools were used for grinding plant foods and were polished not just by intentional shaping, but also by use. Manos are hand stones used in conjunction with metates for grinding corn or grain. A metate is a mortar, a Ground stone tool used for processing Grain and Seeds In traditional Mesoamerican culture metates were typically Polishing increased the intrinsic mechanical strength of the axe. In Materials science, the strength of a material refers to the material's ability to resist an applied force Polished stone axes were important for the widespread clearance of woods and forest during the Neolithic period, when crop and livestock farming developed on a large scale.

References

See also

• lithic technology
• knapping
• Flint
• Flint tool
• Langdale axe industry
• Cissbury
• Grimes Graves
• Great Orme
• Penmaenmawr
• Spiennes
• Tievebulliagh

External links

• Introduction
• Stone Tool Technology
• Principles
• Notes
• Flaked Stone Tools
• Stone Tool Typology
• Stone Tools of Texas Indians
• Stone Types
• Impact of Chemistry
• Interpreting the Function of Stone Tools (book)
• Recommended Readings
• How to recognize prehistoric stone tools