An Archaeologist's Guide to Chert and Flint


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Series: Archaeological Research Tools 7
ISBN: 0-917956-75-3
Publication Date: Jul 1992
Price: Free
  • Open Access: PDF

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Barbara E. Luedtke

For at least 2.5 million years, humans have been using tools, and until just a few thousand years ago their most important tools were of stone. The single most important and widely used stone in nearly every part of the world was chert, also known as flint. It was widely available, easily worked, and capable of being broken Chert and Flintin a controlled manner to create sharp and durable edges. Artifacts of chert excavated in an archaeological context are invaluable to archaeologists; they are often the only surviving source of information about prehistoric cultures. This useful reference synthesizes the available information on chert and its properties, examining its origins, chemical composition, appearance, mechanical attributes and variations in order to better understand the ancient people who used the material to such great advantage. 
Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. The Nature of Chert
Chapter 3. Origins of Chert
Chapter 4. Chemical Properties
Chapter 5. Visible Properties
Chapter 6. Mechanical Properties
Chapter 7. Altered Cherts
Chapter 8. Summary
Appendix A Chert Source Analysis
Appendix B Specific Chert Types