WHAT IS THE MORROW MOUNTAIN POINT?

Middle Archaic bifacially worked chipped stone projectile points of eastern North America dating to the period c. 6000–4000 bc. The points are triangular in outline with slightly flared sides towards the base and a small rounded tang on the base.

WHAT IS THE MICROLITH?

Any of various very small stone tools varying in size from 1 to 5 cm (0.4–2 inches) – mainly thin blades or blade fragments with sharp cutting edges, usually geometric in shape, and set into a wooden handle or shaft or the tip of a bone or antler as an arrow point. They were shaped by abrupt retouch into various shapes like triangles and crescents. Microliths were produced during  the later Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic and were either struck as blades from very small cores or were made from fractured blades using the microburin technique. They are characteristic, for example, of the Azilian culture of the Mesolithic. Microliths represent both a versatile and an economic use of raw material – just as blades yield more cutting edge than flakes per unit weight of raw material, so bladelets improve yet further this advantage, by a factor of something over 100 compared to core tools. [pigmy stone]

WHAT IS THE MICROBURIN?

A microlith produced by notching and snapping a blade; a small piece of stone snapped off a microlith which is a byproduct of the manufacture of microliths. A blade is notched and then snapped off where the chipping has narrowed and weakened it. One piece becomes a microlithic tool, while the residue (the microburin) still shows traces of the original notch and fracture. Certain trapeze-shaped microliths were made from the central part of a double-notched blade, in which case both ends have the appearance of microburins. This procedure allowed the maker to obtain a strong head with a sharp point by breaking up flint blades after making a notch in them – a practice widespread in the Mesolithic as a means of manufacturing arrowheads. The name originates from the erroneous belief that these pieces were the same as burins. [microburin technique]

WHAT IS THE MICROBLADE?

A small, narrow stone blade, ranging from less than 5 to 11 mm (0.1–0.4 inches) wide and about 15–45 mm (0.6–1.7 inches) long. They were often made from a conical or wedge-shaped microcore, often punch-struck or pressure flaked. Microblades were often retouched into various forms of microliths. Microblades are found in the Upper Paleolithic industries of Eurasia and in the Upper Paleolithic of Siberia, but are also characteristic of the Mesolithic and later industries of the circumpolar regions. Examples are the Eastern Gravettian, the Dyuktai culture, and the Arctic Small Tool tradition.

WHAT IS THE MICOQUIAN?

Final Acheulian phase defined on the basis of assemblages from La Micoque, near Les Eyzies, France. Sites are found in central Europe, including some in the former Soviet Union. The characteristic artifact is a pointed pyriform (pear shaped) or lanceolate (tapering) biface with a well-made tip.

WHAT IS THE McKEAN POINT?

The bifacially worked chipped stone projectile points of the McKean complex of the Middle Archaic stage in the Great Plains of North America, c. 2900–1000 bc. They are lanceolate in outline with curved sides and a hollow base.

WHAT IS THE LEVANNA POİNT?

Projectile points are usually associated with Late Woodland and Contact Period occupations in southern New England (c. 700–300 bp). Common material types associated with this point include quartz, quartzite, hornfels, and basalt. Nonlocal cherts were also used in the manufacture of this point type. The Levanna point type is characterized by the equilateral triangular form and concave base.

WHAT IS THE HORSEHOOF CORE?

A steep-edged, often large, domed core with flat-based striking platforms, heavily step-flanked around their margins. Both very large and smaller varieties are found commonly on Pleistocene sites in most areas of Australia and on some mid-Holocene sites; they are considered characteristic of the Australian Core Tool and Scraper tradition. They were chopping tools mainly used in woodworking. The step-flaking could have resulted from repeated striking to remove flakes.

WHAT IS THE CUMBRIAN CLUB ?

CUMBRIAN CLUB: A term for a distinctive type of large polished stone ax of Middle Neolithic date made in northwest England. It has a broadbutted form, long, narrow proportions, and a distinct “waisting” of constriction towards the butt end. [Cumbrian-type stone ax]

WHAT IS THE CRESWELL POİNT ?

CRESWELL POİNT: Type of later Upper Paleolithic flint tool found in the British Isles made from a narrow flint blade, with one end worked to produce a slightly elongated trapezoidal form, with the long side of the blade left unworked, and the shorter side blunted.

WHAT IS THE CRESTED BLADE ?

CRESTED BLADE: A flint blade with negative impressions of removals on one side of the dorsal surface, creating a crest. These constitute part of a previously worked striking platform or result from preparing the  flaked surface on a core before detaching the flakes or blades.

WHAT IS THE CRESCENT ?

CRESCENT: A crescent-shaped, bifacially flaked stone tool generally restricted to the Paleoindian period and almost always found in association with extinct Pleistocene lakes. They were possibly used for hunting large shorebirds. [Great Basin transverse point]

WHAT IS THE CORTEX ?

CORTEX: A tough covering or crust on an unmodified stone cobble or newly exposed flint nodule and tabular flint. It is formed by weathering and is usually discarded during the knapping process.

WHAT IS THE CORNER NOTCH ?

CORNER NOTCH : A major projectile form that is described as a point that has had notches for hafting struck into the corners of the base; a flaking technique applied to accommodate hafting which involved the flaking of notches into the basal corners of a preform base. [corner-notched, corner-notched point]

WHAT IS THE CORE TOOL ?

CORE TOOL: A stone tool, such as a hand ax, chopper, or scraper, formed by chipping away flakes from a core. These tools, often large and relatively heavy, were characteristic of Paleolithic culture. They were made by using a pebble, antler, or bone hammer. [core-tool]

WHAT IS THE CORE REJUVENATION FLAKE ?

CORE REJUVENATION FLAKE: A roughly round and slightly wedge-shaped flake of flint with the remains of flake beds around the outside edge. These flakes are created to extend the life of a core that has become uneven or difficult to work. [core tablet]

WHAT IS THE CORE ?

CORE: 1. A piece of stone used as a blank from which flakes or blades were removed by prehistoric toolmakers. Usually it was the byproduct of toolmaking, but it may also have been shaped and modified to serve as an implement in its own right. An object, such as a hand ax, chopper, or scraper made in this way is a core tool. Cores were most often produced when hit by a pebble, antler, or bone hammer. [blank, nucleus] 2. A black or gray zone in the interior crosssection of a vessel wall, usually associated with incomplete removal of carbonaceous matter from the clay during relatively low-temperature firing; not to be confused with black coring at high temperatures, which results from trapped gases and may lead to bloating. [coring (n.)]

WHAT IS THE CONCHODIAL FRACTURE ?

CONCHODIAL FRACTURE: A characteristic shell-like fracture pattern that occurs in siliceous rocks, such as obsidian, chert, and flint. The fracture has smooth, shell-like convexities and concavities. [conchoidal]

WHAT IS THE CONCHOIDAL FLAKE ?

CONCHOIDAL FLAKE: A type of spall resulting from the fracture of fine-grained or glassy rocks. It is characterized by a bulb of percussion, striking platform remnant, and extremely sharp edges. There is a predictable fracture pattern that allows the manufacture of predetermined tools from these materials.

WHAT IS THE COLLATERAL FLAKING ?

COLLATERAL FLAKING: When flakes on a chipped stone artifact extend to the middle from both edges forming a medial ridge. The flakes are at right angles to the longitudinal axis, and are regular and uniform in size.