Many flaked stone artefacts found on Aboriginal places are made from stone types that do not occur naturally in the area. Aboriginal people quarried such stone from outcrops of bedrock, or collected it as pebbles from stream beds and beaches. These include quartzite, chert, flint, silcrete and quartz. The best types of stone are rich in silica, hard and brittle. Not all types of stone could be used for making tools. A tool that was retouched has a row of small flake scars along one or more edges. New flakes were very sharp, but quickly became blunt during use and had to be sharpened again by further flaking, a process called ‘retouch’. This would remove a sharp fragment of stone called a flake.īoth cores and flakes could be used as stone tools. Breakage can remove some key features.ĭiagram showing basic stone flake characteristics What are Aboriginal flaked stone tools?įlaked stone tools were made by hitting a piece of stone, called a core, with a ‘hammerstone’, often a pebble. Not all of these features can be seen on each stone tool and some require an experienced eye to identify them.

may have one or more scars where flakes have been removed.

may have been shaped into a recognisable tool form, such as a point or scraper.

a ‘bulb of percussion’ often present below the striking platform.

impact point often present on the striking platform.

a ‘striking platform’ (see diagram) visible.

stone type often different to the natural rock in the area.

Hohokam arrowhead types