Hammerstone

various hammerstones
An example of a cobble used as a hammerstone

In archaeology, a hammerstone is a hard cobble used to strike off lithic flakes from a lump of tool stone during the process of lithic reduction.[1] The hammerstone is a rather universal stone tool which appeared early in most regions of the world including Europe, India[2] and North America. This technology was of major importance to prehistoric cultures before the age of metalworking.

  1. ^ Charles Joseph Singer, Richard Raper, Trevor Illtyd Williams, A History of Technology, 1954, Clarendon Press
  2. ^ Neelima Dahiya, Arts and Crafts in Northern India: From the Earliest Times to C. 200 B.C., 1986, D.K. Publishers

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