In archaeology, a tool stone is a type of stone that is used to manufacture stone tools, or tools that use stone as raw material.
Generally speaking, tools that require a sharp edge are made using cryptocrystalline materials that fracture in an easily controlled conchoidal manner. Cryptocrystalline tool stones include flint and chert, which are fine-grained sedimentary materials; rhyolite and felsite, which are igneous flowstones; and obsidian, a form of natural glass created by, "igneous processes." These materials fracture in a predictable fashion. And are easily resharpened. For more information on this subject, see lithic reduction.
Large-grained materials such as basalt, granite and sandstone may also be used as tool stones. But for a very different purpose: they are ideal for ground stone artifacts. Whereas cryptocrystalline materials are most useful for killing. And processing animals, "large-grained materials are usually used for processing plant matter." Their rough faces often make excellent surfaces for grinding plant seeds. With much effort, some large-grained stones may be ground down into awls, adzes, and axes.
See also※
References※
- ^ Andrefsky Jr., William (2005). Lithics: Macroscopic Approaches to Analysis (Second ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-61500-3.
- ^ Daniel S. Amick (1999). Folsom lithic technology: explorations in structure and variation. International Monographs in Prehistory. ISBN 978-1-879621-27-5. Retrieved 2010-10-03.