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UH Anthropology Dept. |
Collections/Curation Equipment & Supplies Lab FAQS |
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Return to Lithics Technology Notes |
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| Arris | Ridge created by intersecting flakescars. |
| Biface | Tool with retouch (flaking) on both faces. |
| Blade | A flake at least twice as long as it is wide. |
| Bulb of Force (Bulb of Percussion) |
Protruding bump on ventral face of flake, just below the striking platform. |
| Bulbar Scar | Concave area on core corresponding to flake's bulb of force. |
| Core | Piece of rock from which flakes are removed. |
| Cortex | Weathered surface on a piece of rock. |
| Cryptocrystalline | Extremely fine grained. |
| Debitage | Waste materials (flakes & chunks) from chipping stone. |
| Distal End of Flake | End away from the platform. |
| Dorsal Surface | Outer surface of a flake. |
| Erraillure | Small flake sometimes removed from area of bulb of force. |
| Fissures/Hackles (Striations) |
Minute cracks which point toward the striking platform, on ventral side of flake. |
| Flake | Piece of rock removed from a larger rock (the core). |
| Flake Scar | "Scar" left on core (or dorsal side of flakes later removed from core) by removal of flakes. |
| Grinding | Shaping or finishing by abrasion (rubbing object on hard surface, often using sand or other abrasive, and water. |
| Groundstone | Artifacts made by abrasion (grinding). |
| Pecking | Removal of material from courser-grained rocks by impact (crushing). |
| Percussion Flaking | Removing flakes by striking. |
| Pressure Flaking | Removing flakes by slow, steady force (pressing). |
| Proximal End of Flake | End toward the striking platform. |
| Retouch | Removal of small flakes to shape, strengthen, or sharpen an edge. |
| Ripple Marks (Concentric Rings) |
Undulations on ventral side of flake and on flake scars (from force moving through rock). |
| Striking Platform | Area where force is applied to remove flake. |
| Uniface | Tool with retouch on one face only. |
| Ventral Surface | Inner face of a flake (toward the core). |
| Wear (Usewear) | The damage or dulling on a surface caused by use. |