Rock Music: The Sounds of Flintknapping

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

All natural substances have intrinsic acoustical properties. Flint, obsidian, and basalt, because of their comparable structure, have very similar sound properties. We explore here whether every piece of knappable stone, within certain parameters, will produce the same fundamental pitch along with its associated partials. The partials of the harmonic sequence are determined by wave theory. This pitch can be modified slightly in a few ways, but the wide majority of the sounds produced are at the exact same frequency. Variables such as stone quality, morphometrics, pressure, and heat treatment may have differing effects upon the sound of the stone. The distance that the knapping sounds can be heard would vary according to several ecological factors. The sounds of flintknapping may have influenced many aspects of the life of ancient peoples, including their choice of raw materials.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25224