Clovis on the left, Folsom on the right. In a nutshell, the flute on a projectile point helped keep the point on a spear shaft.
Tag: lithics
Lithic Series, Part 5: Impact Fracture
I’m sure you’ve been just pining to know all about impact fractures and be provided with a somewhat humorous depiction of this occurrence. So, while surveying, I’ve found a lot of broken projectile points in the field, which are then discarded since they can’t be fashioned into a new point. Some of the points broke upon impact with the target, still showing how the tool literally fractured into two or more fragments. Exciting Stuff.
Lithic Series, Part 3: An Exhausted Core
I love a good pun. An exhausted core is a piece of rock that has had so many flakes knocked off of it during the process of flint knapping, that it can’t be used for anything else. So, it gets thrown out. And falls asleep (har har).
The Dangers of Survey
You wouldn’t think simply walking across the landscape looking for tiny flakes, bits of pottery, and the occasional structure, would be dangerous–well, you’d be wrong. It is surprisingly dangerous. Trees just appear out of NOWHERE!
Jobs in Archaeology: Part 2
As a READ Archaeologist (i.e. a resource advisor to protect stuff during a wildfire), it’s really a race against time and flames to protect vulnerable archaeological sites and artifacts. I’ve watched a historic cabin go up in flames when it was simply too dangerous to protect it. I’ve also recorded lithic scatters with ash raining down on my head and a bulldozer waiting for me to get out of the way to make a massive fire-break. Crazy stuff.
