Mysterious Paleoindian Negative Split Cone Flaking

BenjaminE

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Jun 2, 2014
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Here are photos of mysterious negative split cone flaking, on paleoindian artifacts. Has anyone ever seen it before?

I was told by a lithics researcher that there is no known explanation in modern experimental lithics research that accounts for how this flaking was made. The flaking is denoted by a very small gouge, in the initiation. The gouge almost looks like a tiny chip was knocked out. But, it was part of the flake. They know for sure that a hammerstone did not remove these flakes. They know for sure that a club or billet did not remove these flakes. The flakes are too large to be pressure flakes. So, how were the flakes made? I was told that in experimental archaeology, the only thing that produces this type of negative split cone initiation in the edge is the hard rake of another flake, right on the edge of the point. Such an action does create a similar gouge in the edge. But, it does NOT lead to the removal of a large flake. So, can anyone explain how such flakes were made, and why the gouge? Also, does anyone have examples of these kinds of flake removals in a collection?

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See the tiny gouge in the edge? This type of flake removal with the negative split cone initiation is seen in both paleoindian materials, and in early archaic materials. Could this have actually been done with the tip of a deer tine?

It would be great if someone could show an example of this kind of flaking from an artifact.
 

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I also tend to believe that is most likely post manufacturing damage. I can see no purpose for an intentional "notch" to be placed on that blade edge, and if they had intended a notch to be there, they had the skill to notch it in the normal manner.
 

Plow strike. Gary

I agree. It looks like that type of a gouge. But, if you will notice, the gouges tend to be really small, yet the flake removals hard. Also, no one has been able to show a method of flaking a stone point by raking the hard edge of another flake against the edge. So, this is why in experimental archaeology there is no known answer.
 

I also tend to believe that is most likely post manufacturing damage. I can see no purpose for an intentional "notch" to be placed on that blade edge, and if they had intended a notch to be there, they had the skill to notch it in the normal manner.

Yes, but that little "notch" is actually where the platform remnant came from. So what would have created such a tiny platform remnant, while removing such a large flake, while actually manufacturing a point? That little tiny notch is the result of removing the large flake. It was not done after the flake was removed. So, why the tiny initiation?
 

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