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Shown here is one of the earliest, hence simpler, tools employed by man. It is the hammer stone. It was usually held in the right hand, and used to deliver strong, direct blows to a lesser raw material in the left hand. The blows resulted in a flaking of the lesser material, i.e. hard wood, antler, ivory, sandstone, thus fashioning the material into a desired shape. This method of percussion-flaking was a quick and effective means of sizing, sharpening, honing, and reforming the target material into a useful object. It is important to remember that the hammer stone was man’s use of a naturally formed stone as a tool. What follows are examples of manufactured tools. | |
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