Home > Sinagua > Architecture > Pottery > Tools > Food > Agriculture > Trade > Hopi Oral History
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Home > Sinagua > Architecture > Pottery > Tools > Food > Agriculture > Trade > Hopi Oral History |
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Stone tools (also known as lithic artifacts) are instruments made out of stone by hand. Examples of lithic artifacts include projectile points, scrapers, hammerstones, manos, and hoes. Flintknapping, the making of stone tools, is the world's oldest craft, dating back to 3 million years ago. Archaeologists study stone tools to get a glimpse of how ancient people lived and worked. Archaeologists begin by recording and documenting the context of the stone tools on an archaeological site. Next, they create classifications based on the form, style, and technological differences between each stone tool. In doing so, the archaeologist can examine how the tools changed through time, what they were used for, who was using them, and why they were used. Looking at the flakes or chipped stone that is thrown away during the manufacture of a stone tool can also provide clues to answer the above questions. Archaeologists also document and analyze where the raw materials of each tool originates in order to understand ideas about trade and exchange. Interpreting the important similarities and differences in a lithic assemblage leads to a more thorough understanding of prehistoric daily life. The Sinagua made tools, such as knives, projectile points, scrapers, and hoes from local stone like obsidian, chert and basalt. A majority of the groundstone, in the form of manos and metates, was made out of basalt (also found made from sandstone). Knives and scrapers were used for processing meats whereas hoes and broad blade digging tools were used for farming tasks such as weeding terrace beds. |
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