Talk:Flint tool

Terminology problem

The topic of this page is currently "flint tools" but should be changed to "chipped stone tools". At present, the article talks also about obsidian, which is absolutely NOT flint. Also, the current article uses the word "flint" where it should use the word "chert". The author seems to be unaware of the exact meaning of the word "flint". Flint is a type of chert, specifically it is a type of chert which forms in chalk. The majority of chipped stone tools were in fact made from "common chert", flint being more rare (although usually of higher quality for tool making). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.123.83.18 (talk) 21:16, 5 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Flint & Chert Deposits in the Midwestern U.S. (State-by-state)

Ohio- 19 varieties, Indiana- 11, Kentucky- 8, Illinois- 6, Michigan- 3, West Virginia- 2, Tennessee- 2, New York- 2, Pennsylvania- 37, Wisconsin- 3, North Dakota- 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flint & Chert Deposits in Southern Ontario, Canada- 12

All of the above were mined and knapped by prehistoric cultures to make projectile points, scrapers, bladelets, etc. In the northern latitudes where no native flint could be excavated, they used glacial cobble. Sometimes raw flint was put through a heat-treating process to harden it. This darkens its color as well. Another material found in the western states used for the same purpose is obsidian. It is not flint however, it is an igneous rock that fractures to a cutting edge of one molecule in thickness.

Bibliography: Prehistoric Cherts of the Midwest (DeRegnaucort & Georgiady, 1998); Cherts of Southern Ontario (Eley & vonBitter, 1989) Musicwriter 16:00, 5 October 2005 (UTC)[reply]

History

Might be nice to have some time information indicating when stone tools were first discovered and when they are believed to have been used. -- 65.78.13.238 (talk) 18:14, 17 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Merge

As noted above (#Terminology), this article should be merged into Stone tool. Perhaps a new article on flint tools should then be created; but the current article is just a misnamed duplicate of Stone tool (talking as it does about chert and obsidian axes). I don't have the time or the domain-specific knowledge to do the merge myself, but it should be done. --Quuxplusone (talk) 03:38, 4 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]