Experiments in the Shaping of Wood with Flint Implements

Abstract

THE discovery (NATURE, January 9, 1926) made during my archaeological excavations in 1925 of an ancient wooden structure, induced me to carry out some experiments in the shaping of wood with flint implements. So far as I can ascertain, this matter has not been investigated extensively, and the results of my work may therefore be of some interest. The flint implements used in these experiments were flaked by me with a quartzite hammer-stone, and comprise—an axe (Fig. 1, B), planes (Fig. 1, A and D), a pointed specimen (Fig. 1, C), and a flake with thick back, and more or less straight cutting edge. The axe was mounted1 along the dotted line shown in Fig. 1, B, in a split stick about two feet in length, and I found that with this weapon I could detach branches up to three inches in diameter from trees without any great difficulty. The axe is flaked on one side only. On the side not figured, unflaked cortex is present, but this fact made, apparently, little or no difference to the cutting powers of the edge.