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Just changed my mind about stone tool making after that flintknapping demo

I used to think ancient people just smashed rocks together until something sharp happened, but watching that guy at the museum last weekend shape an obsidian blade with precise pressure flaking made me realize there's real skill and planning behind it. How do we even know how much practice it took for them to get good at it?

3 comments

3 Comments

alice_allen516d ago

Is it weird that I used to think the same thing, like they were just banging rocks together hoping for the best? I remember seeing a flintknapping scene in a movie and thinking it looked pretty random. But after watching a demo at a local history fair I completely changed my mind. The guy was explaining how you have to strike at just the right angle, and even a few degrees off will mess up the whole piece. It's more like carving than smashing, and it takes real skill to get those long flat flakes off. Really makes you respect how much they had to figure out with just their hands and some rocks.

wood.uma16d ago

Caught myself doing the same thing honestly. That pressure flaking trick is way more complex than I ever gave them credit for.

anthonynelson16d ago

Wait, "way more complex"?? I literally thought they just smashed rocks together until something sharp happened. That's WILD to me. I remember watching a documentary years ago and just zoning out during the flint knapping part because I assumed it was basically random banging. Now I'm learning there's actual technique and angles and pressure points and stuff. That's Absolutely insane. How did people figure that out without like, youtube tutorials or anything? Just trial and error over thousands of years I guess. Mind blown right now honestly.