340 - Artifacts, Sequential Flaking, and Modern Flintknapper Bias 

There were thousands and thousands of people making these. at times other things could rush the making of these and nobody that made them thought they were going to be so highly anallized in 7000 years👍

Again, ONE VERY WELL DONE VIDEO WITH FANTASTIC INFORMATION! I have a few Daltons that I have found and they sure come close to matching the castings you shared. Thank you for all your videos and please keep doing them.

Jeff, the price ranges are about $18 to $40 each for the casts, unless you buy them second-hand. I got some for like $10, for example. As for the radio carbon dating, you're right. The points can't be dated accurately unless they are found in an undisturbed layer of soil with organic residue that can be dated. And my chart is a little vague. I made it that way on purpose, and was very generous with the time span, because it takes a long time for me to actually verify all the dates and make sure the sources are talking about dates before 1950 (typical radiocarbon dates) or dates before 0-100 AD. In any case, there are a lot of very good archaeological studies on these point styles and I'm confident of the dates. :-)

Jack, Just reviewed this video "one more time." As always very well studied and thoughtful. Certainly agree modern knappers focus on large size and "pretty," i.e. less utilitarian, styles of point. Of course, we don't have to go out and slay some food soon or go hungry along with the whole family. ;-) I'd assert point size then was a function of the prey it was to be used for. Expect refinement was a "personal preference" as well as "lucky break" that extra time between hunts was available to do it. I think of the suggestion that one mammoth could have provided weeks or months of sustenence for a family group (especially in winter when cold would help preserve the supply). The display of points at Marching Bear National Monument showing items from >10,000 to about 500 years before present was a study in "refinement and size." Multiple shelves of points starting at the bottom with beautiful, large clovis "monster killers" and ending up at the top with irregular, "anything will do" points show the progression. By 500 years ago Native Americans were getting iron points so the stone working knowledge was lost. Again, love your stuff. DGO (Clovisman001) Recall we've talked before...Thanks again for the like on my music

Great point about modern knapper bias for large points. Please make smaller versions of those points but with more random flaking using abo tools and help eliminate that bias. You'll see that smaller is often more difficult if you do:)

I somtimes think that knappers tend to want to challenge themselves to see how wide long or thin they can make a piece I think the native people used any means to get the job done especially where great amounts of points where made for trade hopwell etc . Indirect knapping was probably used more than we think it offers more control and can be learned quicker to produce usable well made points without a extensive tool kit

The highest level of evolution of the arrowhead, When I look at these points I find, Just a cracked pebble in most cases, they get edges touched? Then to see the hours it takes to create this, masteroeice These people did not have the luxury of time to knapp. It was now or death with them, I believe they were trapped here with the last mammoths, When no more mammoths, they were forced to learn to hunt small game, cracking pebbles and making arrows instead of huge spears.

Thanks for the look at them awsome cast that flaking is what you see you know their old I find the Hardin point to be one of my favorites

Always learning the more I watch your post keep posting!! Very interesting

Jack, do you feel that during the Cody complex time period before sequential multi pass was applied that perhaps the desired preform could have been ground ? Could this ground preform have lent itself to a more uniform surface allowing pressure, (direct or indirect), with less effort? The center planes of those castings & actual artifacts are truly amazing. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Great video!!

Hi interesting flint tips to my eye you have some similar to the Clovis points

Hello Mr. Crafty, real nice vid! I myself often wonder why the more technically difficult point types were developed so early and points seemed to become more crude as time goes on. I am sure that the sequential flaking styles shown must offer some functional advantage. Perhaps more "organized" re sharpening?

Good explanations

How do you get the convex center like the firstview points you showed from the Cody complex. How to you get a straight raised centerline down the middle That evenly tapers down and out to the edge? I may not be describing this correctly or using correct terminology so please forgive my ignorance.

cool vid! thanks for the info. I'm studying some lithic reduction sequences of local artifacts. a lot of white quartz, have you worked quartz? I'm looking for some anvil assisted fracturing... There are tons of anvils everywhere around here. people fill potholes with artifacts they are so prevalent around here! So, I am trying to solve the puzzle, or at least put some pieces together...

Those were beautiful casts. What kind of price ranges do they charge for specimens like the ones you showed? Also, I wanted to ask (and please don't take this wrong) if you meant radio carbon dating for aging the original points. I learn a lot from your videos and really don't want to challenge you, but, I think radio carbon dating only works on materials that were once organic. As I understand, the only way archeologists date artifacts that are inorganic is by the soil strata in which they were found. Please correct me if I am misunderstanding this. Anyway, I look forward to every video (loved the 3 flaking vids) you issue. You really have taught me a lot so please don't stop. Thank you.

my question is how these were made, I seem to only get good parallel flaking from ground smooth preforms. Are there vids explaining the process on these old points ? I watched flintknapper jimmy on the Z flake but I don't believe there was any explanation on preparing the preform. Very informative video and thanks!

Ive finally working slabs want to do percussion but every time i just make dust

Something of such value and your holding them all together.why? Can you say damage

I have been wracking my brain on this, lol, you may have created a monster. Now, let me preface this by saying I don't do many reproductions, I heavily use direct percussion with some pressure and indirect. I rarely try to match flake types and patterns, I just go for thinness and overall shape so if I am showing my ignorance on the subject please forgive me. Ok, that being said I have questions. 1: On the subject of parallel flaked knife forms, wouldn't you have to achieve a preform that was primarily randomly flaked before doing the final several passes to achieve parallel flaking? That being said, wouldn't that make the end product more refined? 2: Much like your quest to wrangle all of the flint Knapping terms, I think that as a community we need to decide what criteria we use to judge how refined or "complicated" a point is. A particular point type can't be judged outside of its use environment so I think this makes the conversation more difficult. Perhaps difficulty of construction? 3: Notches are awesome. This one isn't so much a question as an obsession. 4: I am looking forward to you joining flintknappers.com, can't wait to peruse your points. 5: Would you make a video comparing these casts to a more refined later era point style so that we can start to see what criterion are being used to judge point styles? Lol, I guess I should have just done a video response. I have been typing for half an hour. Lol, in any case, thank you for what you do.

Since the humans who made many of the artifacts lived in small bands, even if only one or two individuals within the band were capable of manufacturing good flakes, the overall percentage of the entire human population who were capable of producing really good tools had to dwarf the tiny number who can today.

Prime agetool

Where have you gone?

If you want to recoup some of that money you spent on the castings I'd love to buy a dalton that you personally have made.