Flint knapping is the process of making stone tools (i.e. arrowheads, projectile points, hand axes, etc.). The ancient art of flint knapping has been around for about 4 millions years. Flint knapping has evolved as man has evolved. And it was not until recently that man quit knapping for survival purposes. Only a few small groups of people in remote parts of the world still knap as part of their daily lives. Flint knapping is a reduction process because flakes of stone are broken off the of the original piece of stone. Knappers, both ancient and modern, generally begin knapping a piece of stone with direct percussion. Direct percussion is accomplished by directly striking the stone which is to be made into a projectile point, etc., with a tool, such as a hammerstone or antler billet to remove large flakes. The purpose of direct percussion is to thin the stone to the required thickness. Generally, the next step is pressure flaking. Pressure flaking is achieved by placing a pointed tool, such as an antler tine or copper-tipped pressure flaker, on the edge of the stone, and applying an inward pressure to the tool. This pressure will remove a small, thin flake from the stone. Pressure flaking shapes and refines the projectile point. Finishing a point can include notching, stemming, fluting, etc.
