Archaeologica.org

A wonderful article about a little known area of South America click here.

However I'm not sure this is how stone age people's sharpened their blades-your thoughts?


"Hand-axe sharpening grooves and geometric designs below Corona Falls on the River Rewa testify to the fact that there were once indigenous people inhabiting this area," according to Biodiversity report. Photo by: Rob Pickles.

Those grooves would have been for smoothing wooden shafts, most likely.

"Handaxes" were made by knapping nodules of flint/chert into flake cores that could also be used as choppers. &c. Removing a new flake series automatically re-sharpened the working edge. The flakes themselves, however, were what were most useful for cutting.

Youtube (utube ? Whatever it is) has some relevant videos, but I don't know how to link them.

Just find whatever Youtube video you want and copy and paste the whole url. We don't have the ability in this software to auto play Youtube.

I have to agree with the shaft smoothing idea.
Those grooves look pretty round.
And I am guessing with a radius of over an inch.
That would make a pretty dull axe but a pretty nice spear shaft.

uniface wrote:Those grooves would have been for smoothing wooden shafts, most likely.

"Handaxes" were made by knapping nodules of flint/chert into flake cores that could also be used as choppers. &c. Removing a new flake series automatically re-sharpened the working edge. The flakes themselves, however, were what were most useful for cutting.....

Thanks for the clarification they were somewhat familiar in terms of weapon/tool making.

If you're either a heavy science geek or a glutton for punishment (possibly both),

http://www.ele.net/acheulean/handaxe.htm

If you're not, but interested enough as a tourist,

http://www.lithiccastinglab.com/gallery ... npage1.htm