$@&!?:#* !!!

[uniface]

What would have been a large Clovis point of glacial Onondaga chert from Pennsylvania that suffered what's called a "perverse end snap." Nipple was set up for the first flute but in vain.

Those guys famously loved pretty, glossy material, but they'd knap anything. If you don't believe this, get Carl Yahnig's book (which you'll have memorized if you have a serious interest in Paleo lithic technology/procedures).

 

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[joshuaream]

Neat one, I don't recall seeing that old beast before.

 

[uniface]

Most of them are "new" here.

Glad it appeals to you. Great minds, same channels.

 

[uniface]

This is a good place to point to a possibly surprising paradox. Everybody likes and wants finished, perfect artifacts. But it's the ones that were abandoned because of problems that came up in the course of making them that are most valuable, because they're lithic snapshots of stages in the reduction sequence -- what the French call the "chain of operation" and pay a lot of attention to. Assemble enough examples of points (since those are popular here) that were pitched because of knapping mistakes or material flaws, going from nodule/slab to near complete, and you have a ster-by-step reconstruction of how they arrived at the end result -- how they did what they did.

 

[uniface]

Here's an example from an earlier stage. Same problem.

 

[uniface]

And another, while we're at it. This one they recycled as a knife.

Those guys would knap anything

 

[uniface]

Here's an example from an earlier stage. Same problem.

View attachment 1906437

A second example of a hanging chad that 11K years of freezing & thawing failed to dislodge.

 

[H.P.]

This is a good place to point to a possibly surprising paradox. Everybody likes and wants finished, perfect artifacts. But it's the ones that were abandoned because of problems that came up in the course of making them that are most valuable, because they're lithic snapshots of stages in the reduction sequence -- what the French call the "chain of operation" and pay a lot of attention to. Assemble enough examples of points (since those are popular here) that were pitched because of knapping mistakes or material flaws, going from nodule/slab to near complete, and you have a ster-by-step reconstruction of how they arrived at the end result -- how they did what they did.

That’s so true..Also another way to get a more complete picture is to watch some knapping videos, some of them fellas flute and replicate how the ole boys did it..it helped my understanding tremendously and solved many mysteries...good informative series you have goin.

 

[uniface]

good informative series you have goin

Can't hold a candle to yours !

 

[uniface]

This one will probably establish a record for most uninteresting artifact of all the non-points posted in this series. But the more you learn, the more you can understand, and the more interesting things like this are. This is from early in the Paleo reduction sequence : taking big, wide flakes off from the sides on one face, and similar ones from end to end on the other was their modus operandus. After a number of attempts to remove the stack @ lower right, the guy pitched it -- thoughtfully leaving us a record of how his people went about reducing large masses of chert. (In this case, Dover. Lashanne Johnson, Hardin Co., Ky.).
(His wife subsequently used it as a camp tool).

 

[gilmerman]

That's like a magnum weapon. What the hell were they hunting to need a projectile that size? I'd be happy to have it, shine or not. Thanks.

 

[Tdog]

What the hell were they hunting to need a projectile that size?

Megafauna.