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I don’t where to post this, but this is sounds better than Off The Wall for such important subject (me! ...not really, it’s about my lessons from you all and my education so far....)
This week, I have been struck by the graciousness of members of this forum. I know I am simultaneously both an ignoramus and a smart-mouthed-smartybutt, a truly annoying combination that apparently is in my DNA. Yet, you all have exercised tolerance, patience (yes, even you who-will-not-be-named, 😘, who called me by my favorite name “Rock Freak”, advised me to “go play with my [sic] rocks”, and prompted my gleeful response “ I do! ...but they’re not near as entertaining as y’all!”, but, most importantly, you all have laughed with me instead of always at me. My kinda sloppy feeling of gratitude made me feel like I should be better, should be a worthier student, should know more. So, what do I do when feeling emotional? Research!
My specific problem is that of most artifact-finder wannabes: I haven’t been able to see the hand-of-man that you all see so easily, and consequently, I embody almost every term in Painshill’s Glossary. Willjo sent me some REAL artifacts, I’m sure in frustration that his advice seemed to get lost between my ears and my brain. So, he switched to a visual/tactile approach, and I got to hold incredible items in my clammy little hands, and look at them with my greedy little eyeballs (i.e. I fondled them, and was transfixed.). The knapped chert was so clear, so obvious, so beautiful, so skillful and artful, that in that moment of up close and personal, I knew I’d never before seen it outside a museum. No wonder some of us novices are caricatures..... all we seen are pictures!
My rocks are weird beautiful geological examples, and only those sufficiently weird beautiful crank up that laser-focused part of my brain, and it’s only about those I can spout painshill-type rhetoric. You all were trying to teach me, but I’d yet to study chert/flint, much less knapping (isn’t that just what you guys do in the eternal quest amongst yourselves to see who has biggest point😲😬?!). Poor ole Oldrocks2 had ordered an inadequate Biggest-Point Aid, Dino DoDo, so I asked for it. After all, it wasn’t internet point-aid for me; it was far, far better: fossilized feces!! And, he sent it to me!
That clinched it, and I was ashamed I’d relegated knapping to the level of you-know-what. I hit the books, and within first 2 hours, I’m surprised that you all didn’t laugh at me like hyenas surrounding a turkey! (You have license, you who-will-not-be-named, to hit me harder, of which I know you are quite capable, than “go play with your rocks”!).
I learned from Wikipedia first, moved up to Encyclopedia Brittanica, on to Geoscience News And Information ,then to The International Journal of Fracture (what?!), “Essential Mechanics of Conchoidal Flaking”, Dec 1985, Vol 29, Issue 4, and lastly to a doctoral treatise written in two volumes for the University of Dublin, Ireland’s School of Archeology, College of Arts and Celtic Studies: Understanding Quartz Technology in Early Prehistoric Ireland. You see, I have lotsa and lotsa quartz-based stuff, and I know it’s not gonna look like Willjo’s knapped flint. Surface Hunter’s been helping me, too., and he corrected me once that quartz is flaked indeed and not necessarily ground, ....duh, as I had believed.
First, basic understanding now is: stone artifacts are either ground, or chipped. They are chipped by flaking, aka knapping, and those two words have the same meaning. Again, ....duh. Second, flint is a form of silica (quartz), and that flint, quartz, and a few other lithics, technically all flake in conchoidal fashion, with flakes all bearing resulting compression wave-rings, as taught to me by Tam, as well as “bulbs”. However, flakes can change as a result of knapping in a different position, and with different force; “ bending “ flaking results in a less, but still visible bulb, and less compression rings. “Wedging” results in virtually no bulbs, significantly reduced compression rings because the flake itself is so compressed, that no longer appears as a flake, but as a chunk. AND, THIS has afore to resulted in a public opinion even among skilled knappers, that the resulting creation is not an artifact at all. This is especially true for quartz lithics. because although silica based like flint, its crystals vary.
But, the times they are a-changing........ Please somebody else read those last two items, because I read stuff way-over-my-head all the time, and though fully understand only about half, I generally get the drift, and I treasure you all so much, want you to suffer reading through this stuff, too. Betcha your novice won’t be talkin” quite so dumb.... well, not about “mechanics” of knapping.
Thank you, thank you, thank you all for all you’ve done for me, and please keep on keepin’ on...!!!!
This week, I have been struck by the graciousness of members of this forum. I know I am simultaneously both an ignoramus and a smart-mouthed-smartybutt, a truly annoying combination that apparently is in my DNA. Yet, you all have exercised tolerance, patience (yes, even you who-will-not-be-named, 😘, who called me by my favorite name “Rock Freak”, advised me to “go play with my [sic] rocks”, and prompted my gleeful response “ I do! ...but they’re not near as entertaining as y’all!”, but, most importantly, you all have laughed with me instead of always at me. My kinda sloppy feeling of gratitude made me feel like I should be better, should be a worthier student, should know more. So, what do I do when feeling emotional? Research!
My specific problem is that of most artifact-finder wannabes: I haven’t been able to see the hand-of-man that you all see so easily, and consequently, I embody almost every term in Painshill’s Glossary. Willjo sent me some REAL artifacts, I’m sure in frustration that his advice seemed to get lost between my ears and my brain. So, he switched to a visual/tactile approach, and I got to hold incredible items in my clammy little hands, and look at them with my greedy little eyeballs (i.e. I fondled them, and was transfixed.). The knapped chert was so clear, so obvious, so beautiful, so skillful and artful, that in that moment of up close and personal, I knew I’d never before seen it outside a museum. No wonder some of us novices are caricatures..... all we seen are pictures!
My rocks are weird beautiful geological examples, and only those sufficiently weird beautiful crank up that laser-focused part of my brain, and it’s only about those I can spout painshill-type rhetoric. You all were trying to teach me, but I’d yet to study chert/flint, much less knapping (isn’t that just what you guys do in the eternal quest amongst yourselves to see who has biggest point😲😬?!). Poor ole Oldrocks2 had ordered an inadequate Biggest-Point Aid, Dino DoDo, so I asked for it. After all, it wasn’t internet point-aid for me; it was far, far better: fossilized feces!! And, he sent it to me!
That clinched it, and I was ashamed I’d relegated knapping to the level of you-know-what. I hit the books, and within first 2 hours, I’m surprised that you all didn’t laugh at me like hyenas surrounding a turkey! (You have license, you who-will-not-be-named, to hit me harder, of which I know you are quite capable, than “go play with your rocks”!).
I learned from Wikipedia first, moved up to Encyclopedia Brittanica, on to Geoscience News And Information ,then to The International Journal of Fracture (what?!), “Essential Mechanics of Conchoidal Flaking”, Dec 1985, Vol 29, Issue 4, and lastly to a doctoral treatise written in two volumes for the University of Dublin, Ireland’s School of Archeology, College of Arts and Celtic Studies: Understanding Quartz Technology in Early Prehistoric Ireland. You see, I have lotsa and lotsa quartz-based stuff, and I know it’s not gonna look like Willjo’s knapped flint. Surface Hunter’s been helping me, too., and he corrected me once that quartz is flaked indeed and not necessarily ground, ....duh, as I had believed.
First, basic understanding now is: stone artifacts are either ground, or chipped. They are chipped by flaking, aka knapping, and those two words have the same meaning. Again, ....duh. Second, flint is a form of silica (quartz), and that flint, quartz, and a few other lithics, technically all flake in conchoidal fashion, with flakes all bearing resulting compression wave-rings, as taught to me by Tam, as well as “bulbs”. However, flakes can change as a result of knapping in a different position, and with different force; “ bending “ flaking results in a less, but still visible bulb, and less compression rings. “Wedging” results in virtually no bulbs, significantly reduced compression rings because the flake itself is so compressed, that no longer appears as a flake, but as a chunk. AND, THIS has afore to resulted in a public opinion even among skilled knappers, that the resulting creation is not an artifact at all. This is especially true for quartz lithics. because although silica based like flint, its crystals vary.
But, the times they are a-changing........ Please somebody else read those last two items, because I read stuff way-over-my-head all the time, and though fully understand only about half, I generally get the drift, and I treasure you all so much, want you to suffer reading through this stuff, too. Betcha your novice won’t be talkin” quite so dumb.... well, not about “mechanics” of knapping.
Thank you, thank you, thank you all for all you’ve done for me, and please keep on keepin’ on...!!!!
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