knapping

Knapping is the process of shaping stone through controlled removal of chips to produce tools or blade-like forms. It is a fundamental technique in lithic technology, used by ancient societies to create implements such as scrapers, points, and blades, and it remains a subject of study and practice in modern craft and archaeology.

The practice relies on breaking the stone along conchoidal fractures using percussion or pressure. Percussion flaking employs a hammerstone or billet to strike the core, creating flakes with predictable platforms. Direct percussion strikes the platform directly; indirect percussion uses a punch or intermediary tool between hammer and core to improve control. Pressure flaking uses a pointed tool to apply gradual pressure along the edge to shape, thin, or retouch a tool. Proper platform preparation, platform size, and dorsal surface conditioning influence flake size and accuracy.

Common raw materials include chert, flint, obsidian, quartzite, jasper, and other siliceous rocks that fracture reliably with conchoidal breakage. Material choice depends on fracture properties, availability, and intended tool form.

Knapping produces cores, flakes, blades, and retouched implements. Retouched flakes can become scrapers or burins, while blade cores yield elongated blades useful for toolmaking. The process can be performed with simple tools such as a hammerstone and an anvil, or with more specialized percussion implements and pressure flakers.

Historically, knapping is associated with early stone tool industries, from Lower Paleolithic flakes to Acheulean handaxes and later periods in various regions. Experimental knapping helps researchers understand manufacture sequences, tool function, and subsistence strategies.

Today, knapping is studied in archaeology, taught in flintknapping workshops, and practiced by hobbyists. It emphasizes safety and ethics, particularly in the handling of sharp materials and in demonstrations using viable materials.