Stone Artifacts: Cutting Artifacts

L. C. Steege

Stone Artifacts: Cutting Artifacts

Year: 2007

Summary

At the beginning, any sharp edge of a thin flake was considered sufficient for a good cutting edge. When the edge became dulled and chipped from use, the flake was discarded and another picked up either as found in nature or struck off from some suitable material. There was no standard for size or shape; the main requirements were that it be large enough to be held in a hand and sufficiently thin, sharp and strong enough to cut skin, flesh and wood. This type of cutting artifact undoubtedly lasted for a long period of time. By blunting one edge of the flake, a great deal more pressure could be applied to the flake without injuring the hand holding it. A slight convex cutting edge ending in a point added considerably to the efficiency of this flake knife. In our knives today, even with their many specialized functions in our modern lives; we see very little change in the shape of the metal blade over the stone flake knives of ancient origin.