wow what a blade.
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grendel
the barnacle
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wow what a blade.
take a look at these authentic blades in the British Museum, - click on the pic to enlarge it -
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/r/ripple_flaked_flint_knife.aspx
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/r/ripple_flaked_flint_knife.aspx
the barnacle- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
Gerzian knifes are beautiful I agree, but also only flaked on one side, I always wondered why this is so.
I read a theory a while back that pointed out, although the knives are found across Egypt, they were all made of a specific type of flint, so could be from a single workshop or single area that developed this knapping style and passed it down the generations.
Re: wow what a blade.
perhaps the smooth side was to spread the butter on their sarnies
the barnacle- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
i support the butter theory, afterall the egyptians were an advanced civilisation, and therefore the use of marmite was anathema.
skalla- Knap Meister
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mr.hertzian cone- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
The Gerzian knives where percussion flaked first to make a blank, then ground and then flaked on one side, they must have had copper tipped pressure flakers to run long flakes lke that, and arms like Popeye!
mr.hertzian cone- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
Certainly looks that way, however copper usually leaves microscopic traces on anything knapped with it. I wonder if any has been foundon the pressure platforms?
mr.hertzian cone- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
When you're back in Blighty, you may want to go to the Ashmolean museum in Oxford as they have some stunning Egyptian flint work on display including a fine example of a Gerzian knife and a knapped chert boomerang! I kid you not... It's amazing.
mr.hertzian cone- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
A W.T.F price for a Gerzian flint knife, but you can see why it speedly charged past it's estimate price, feast your eyes:http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/ancient-art-antiquities/an-egyptian-flint-blade-predynastic-period-late-5567141-details.aspx?pos=1&intObjectID=5567141&sid=&page=1
mr.hertzian cone- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
if you click the image you can see it close up - would be interesting to get some of the same material to see how it knaps,
the barnacle- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
That is astonishing, I can't see a fault on it. I'm guessing the lower row of flakes were done second as they are deeper and the method used to get the the same length was unnatural termination, as they are all shallow step fractures. So maybe they applied pressure to the place where they wanted them all to stop.
Re: wow what a blade.
Some of the Ameican flint/chert looks similar to the Egyptian stone (Burlington or Keokuk chert). Palaeomanjim et al has made some good reproductions:http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/41503/Gerzean-Knife#.UWdJTTf4LTo
Did the Egyptians cook thier stone too?
They certainly ground thier preforms to get that "flake over grind" pressure flaking ripple look!
Did the Egyptians cook thier stone too?
They certainly ground thier preforms to get that "flake over grind" pressure flaking ripple look!
mr.hertzian cone- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
Perhaps the only confirmed use of FOG in prehistory, although I saw an interesting debate a while back where some FOG knappers argued for and provided suggested examples for FOG use outside Egypt, but there was nothing completely convincing but some hints.
Egyptian flint looks like American chert, so most likely heat treated and about half as hard as English flint to squeeze a flake off.
Egyptian flint looks like American chert, so most likely heat treated and about half as hard as English flint to squeeze a flake off.
Re: wow what a blade.
so who is going to have a go at making one? - great link above - seems in the usa knapping is big business with lots of interest - i wonder why it seems so slow here in the uk considering our past and artifacts we have.
the barnacle- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
The Egytians are not alone in F.O.G knapping, the danish where rather fond it too. Here are some astonishing reproductions by Geg Nunn:http://www.gregnunnflintworks.com/html/one.html
As for having a go, I'll get a grinding wheel at some point and see what I can do, Must admit I don't fancy grinding the blade by hand
As for having a go, I'll get a grinding wheel at some point and see what I can do, Must admit I don't fancy grinding the blade by hand
mr.hertzian cone- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
good point I forgot about Danish daggers, there's a good article on it here.
http://science.cranbrook.edu/sites/default/files/sdarticle.pdf
http://science.cranbrook.edu/sites/default/files/sdarticle.pdf
Re: wow what a blade.
some great knapping by Greg - thanks for the link,
the barnacle- Knap Meister
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mr.hertzian cone- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
A while back while wondering how the hell the above knapping was done I got to wondering if FOG was ever used in this country. I couldn't really find much beyond the above pic as a candidate. However I stumbled upon thisthis article
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/~drus105/LithicsPDFs/Lithics%2022/lithics_22_2001_But_37-38.pdf
Re: wow what a blade.
Wow!! Very impressive
These blades reminded me of the Mayan Eccentric Flints that were featured in an old copy National Geographic I have.
Do you suppose there is anyone alive today that can work so finely?
Take a look at this one (click on the second photo as you scroll down the page)
http://arttrak.blogspot.co.uk/2012_05_13_archive.html
These blades reminded me of the Mayan Eccentric Flints that were featured in an old copy National Geographic I have.
Do you suppose there is anyone alive today that can work so finely?
Take a look at this one (click on the second photo as you scroll down the page)
http://arttrak.blogspot.co.uk/2012_05_13_archive.html
Dorset Andy- Debitage Artist
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Re: wow what a blade.
Mr. G, the ancient use of F.O.G is possable, it seems that that kind of flake pattern only happens with grinding before final flaking. It did remind me of this (though not of Europe), but clearly worthy of being in the wow! what a blade catergory: http://www.arrowheadology.com/forums/primitive-technology-cultures/6810-colorful-arrowheads-tools-mongolia-central-asia.html
Especially when it gets to "These guys wheren't bad at flaking either" Indeed WOW!
Especially when it gets to "These guys wheren't bad at flaking either" Indeed WOW!
mr.hertzian cone- Knap Meister
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Re: wow what a blade.
That one in post 3 is very similar to the UK example above. The UK example the flakes are about 2mm wide, I've never seen anything that thin from confirmed prehistoric FOG or modern FOG. Even with a steel nail flakes that thin seem impossible. I wonder what tool they were using? I saw a FOG preform once that wasn't ground flat, it had raised platforms and the beginnings of ridges ground in. Taking a flake from a high ridge off gives long thin flakes so perhaps it could be done this way.
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