hammerstone
Prehistoric shaping tool
A hammerstone is a hard stone used as a striking tool, especially in prehistoric toolmaking.
Early humans used hammerstones to chip flakes from flint or obsidian, shaping them into cutting tools and weapons.
The term appears mainly in archaeology: The dig uncovered several hammerstones alongside flint cores.
Spark-producing sedimentary rock
- chertFine-grained siliceous stone
- quartziteMetamorphic silica-rich stone
- obsidianGlassy igneous rock
- basaltFine-grained volcanic stone
nodule · cobble · pebble · granite · sandstone · sourcing · quarry · outcrop
Striking stone to shape tools
- percussionSound through impact
- flakeThin detached fragment
- coreCentral essential portion
- reductionMaking something smaller
retouch · preform · flaker · anvil · striking · platform · conchoidal · shaping
Knapped stone implement
- chopperRotorcraft or cleaver
- scraperTool for removing buildup
- cleaverBroad-bladed cutting tool
- spearpointSharpened projectile tip
blade · adze · celt · abrader · grindstone · pestle · finishing · crafting
Human-made historical object
- assemblageCollected group of things
- PaleolithicEarliest archaeological era
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
- siteDesignated location
excavation · stratigraphy · typology · experimental · replication · hominin · prehistoric
flint
Spark-producing sedimentary rock
basalt · nodule · cobble · pebble · granite · sandstone · sourcing · quarry · outcrop · unmodified
flintknapping
Striking stone to shape tools
- percussionSound through impact
- flakeThin detached fragment
- coreCentral essential portion
reduction · retouch · preform · flaker · anvil · striking · platform · conchoidal · shaping · thinning
handaxe
Knapped stone implement
spearpoint · blade · adze · celt · abrader · grindstone · pestle · finishing · crafting · manufacture
artifact
Human-made historical object
- assemblageCollected group of things
- PaleolithicEarliest archaeological era
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
site · excavation · stratigraphy · typology · experimental · replication · hominin · prehistoric