WHAT IS THE HELL GAP?

A Plano tradition complex of the Paleoindian period from c. 11,200 to 8000 bc (the complex dates to c. 10,000–9500 bp) and centered on a well-preserved, deeply stratified site in eastern Wyoming. Hell Gap is also the name of a projectile point type of the Plano tradition, which is bifacially worked with a broad pointed top set on a straight-sided trapezoidal body. The base is narrow and straight. Experiments show that these points were probably spearheads and fully capable of penetrating the hide and ribcage of large beasts such as bison.

WHAT IS THE HARDAWAY POINT?

A bifacially worked, chipped stone projectile point with a triangular outline, slightly hollow base, and a side notch towards the base on either side. It may be a variation of the Dalton tradition

c. 8500–7000 bc.

WHAT IS THE GRAVER?

A stone tool manufactured from a flake by chipping (pressure flaking) it on two edges at one end so as to leave a sharp point. Gravers were used to cut or score soft materials such as bone, shell, wood, and antler; perhaps also for punching leather and other purposes. The term also refers to a type of metalworking tool that comprises a number of subtypes, though all are handheld, hard, and sharp and are used to cut or engrave metal. Such a graver has a metal shaft that is cut or ground diagonally downward to form a diamond-shaped point at the tip. The angle of the point affects the width and depth of the engraved lines; the point is guided by thumb and forefinger.

WHAT IS THE FLAKE ?

A thin broad piece of stone detached from a larger mass for use as a tool; a piece of stone removed from a larger piece (core or nucleus) during knapping (percussion or pressure) and used in prehistoric times as a cutting instrument. Also, any casual cutting implement typically consisting of large pieces of debitage detached from a core, not “formed” tools. Flakes often served as blanks from which more complex artifacts – burins, scrapers, gravers, arrowheads, etc. – could be made. Waste flakes (debitage) are those discarded during the manufacture of a tool. Flakes may be retouched to make a flake tool or used unmodified. The process leaves characteristic marks on both the core and flake which makes it comparatively easy to distinguish human workmanship from natural accident.

WHAT IS THE FEDERMESSER ?

A small backed blade, about the size and shape of a penknife blade; these blades were the most distinctive artifacts of the Final Glacial peoples of the north European plain during the Allerød oscillation (c. 9850–8850 bc). Similar bladelets occurred in the related Creswellian culture of Britain and the blades are very similar to the Azilian point. They are backed blades tapering to a point, and were probably used as arrowheads. They tend to have curved or angled backs unlike the earlier Gravette points.

WHAT IS THE EOLITH ?

Any naturally shaped or broken stone, once considered to be the oldest artifacts of early man. They consist of crudely chipped flakes and cores from pre-Pleistocene or very early Pleistocene deposits. It is now accepted that eoliths were not made by humans but were chipped by natural agencies as far back as 500,000 years bc. Most eoliths were frost-split chunks with irregular chipping round the edge. Eolithic is a term sometimes used by archaeologists for the earliest stage of human culture before the Paleolithic, characterized by very primitive stone tools, especially of flint. It means “dawn of the Stone Age.” [dawn stone]

WHAT IS THE END SCRAPER?

a stone tool formed by chipping the end of a flake of stone which can then be used to scrape animal hides and wood. Its steeply angled (acute) working edge was used for flensing or softening hides and to dress skins. It appeared in Europe during the Upper Paleolithic period. It differed from side scrapers in that it had a rounded retouched end and was often made on a blade. A side scraper had a retouched working edge along the long edge of the flake.

WHAT IS THE CHELLEAN ?

CHELLEAN: An outdated classification term used for the first stage of biface manufacture believed to precede the Acheulian, and named after the type site of Chelles in the Somme Valley, France. It is now generally accepted that Chellean implements should be classified as early Acheulian. The term Chello-Acheulian, once applied to African Earlier Stone Age biface assemblages, has also been replaced by the term Acheulian.