Technology and Terminology of Knapped Stone - IRIT

Knapping, shaping, flaking, retouchin g
Whichever way the stone-knapper goes about his work, he must use a set of tools, and
these are presented in the appended lexicon (fig. 72 and fig. 73).
The term "knapping" has a general meaning, and applies to any type of action aiming at
intentionally fracturing raw material. Knapping encompasses shaping, retouching and debitage
(or flaking), which are each used in a more restrictive sense. These terms describe precise actions,
and are dealt with in separate chapters. The word knapping is used when a more accurate one
cannot be applied. This happens when the use and purpose of a knapped artefact cannot be clearly
defined : for instance, is a chopper a core, an actual tool, or both ?
Knapping methods and technique s
The importance of distinguishing between these two terms was pointed out as early as
1965 during an international symposium 31
. By definition, knapping methods and techniques
concern shaping, flaking and retouching.
Method refers to any carefully thought out sequence of interrelated actions, each of
which is carried out according to one or more techniques. More often than not, the term method
implies an elaborate conceptual scheme leading to the manufacture of predetermined products,
whether by shaping or by flaking. Clearly, what must be identified is predetermination.
The main methods currently acknowledged are defined in chapters 3, 4 and 5.
Physical actions - a deft flip of the hand, the use of a hard or soft hammer, the
interposition of a punch - are all examples of techniques. Thanks to major breakthroughs in
experimentation, knapping techniques are now well identified. The criteria used derive from
observations made on archeological assemblages, which are then substantiated by experimentation.
Special retouching techniques are treated in chapter 5.
Technical procedures are short systematic sequences of actions involved in any kind of
preparation, such as : the abrasion of an overhang, the preparation of an edge prior to removal
by a burin blow, the facetting of a striking or pressure platform, the preparation of a spur.
The main technique s
1. Percussio n
Application of force to fracture raw materials.
Direct percussion
• Direct percussion with a stone hammer (hard or soft stone) (fig. 4) and, theoretically,
its symmetrical opposite, percussion of an artefact on an anvil, are the main expressions of this
technique. Various knapping techniques were invented through the ages, but the first undoubtedly
was direct percussion with a hard hammerstone. For hundreds of thousands of years, it was the
only technique applied, and its use endured throughout the history of stone-knapping. It can
therefore never be used as a chronological argument.
Direct percussion with a soft hammerstone is suitable for the shaping of bifacial preforms
and for the removal of moderately regular blades 32
. The materials chosen for this type of hammer
include soft sandstones or cornstones, which tend to crumble on impact. Comparable results
31 We draw attention to the unwarranted use of the term "technological" where "technique" or "method" are more
appropriate. A symposium organized by the Wenner-Gren foundation was held at Burg Wartenstein (Austria), during
which several prehistorians discussed those problems of terminology (e.g. Balout, 1967 and Tixier, 1967).
32 Crabtree, 1972; Madsen, 1983 ; Pelegrin, 1991a.
30