Chippedstone

Chipped stone, or chipped-stone, is a category of lithic artifacts produced by lithic reduction, a process of removing flakes from a rock core to create edges and forms suitable for cutting, scraping, or hunting. The term is widely used in archaeology to distinguish flaked implements from ground-stone tools shaped by grinding or polishing. Chipped-stone technology encompasses a range of techniques and tool types across cultures and periods.

Common raw materials include flint, chert, obsidian, quartzite, jasper, and other fine-grained rocks that exhibit conchoidal fracture. Flint and chert are especially prized for durable, sharp edges; obsidian can yield extremely fine edges but may be more fragile in some contexts. Material choice influences knapping strategy, edge retention, and tool performance.

Reduction typically begins with percussion flaking to detach a series of shaping flakes from a core, creating a usable blank. Direct hammerstone, soft hammer, or indirect methods may be used. Subsequent pressure flaking refines edges and shapes blades, points, scrapers, and microliths. The waste chips, or debitage, record the steps of reduction and tool design.

Chipped-stone tools include scrapers, denticulates, notched tools, blades, and projectile points. They served cutting, scraping, woodworking, hide processing, and hunting tasks. Use-wear, residue analysis, and experimental replication help archaeologists interpret function and manufacturing sequence.

Studying chipped-stone technology sheds light on resource procurement, economy, and cognitive abilities of past populations. The distribution of raw-material sources, techniques, and tool forms informs site chronology, trade networks, and cultural affiliations. Lithic analyses continue to refine methods for classifying and dating chipped-stone assemblages.