Artifact of the Week: Hand Chopper and Knife

Many of the stone tools would have had handles made of wood or bone. However, these materials do not last over time. These modern handles were recreated based on historical information.

Only a small portion of history is preserved in the archaeological record. Archaeologists rarely recover fragile wood and plant materials, for example. On the other hand, hard objects can remain in the archaeological record over time. So archaeologists must try to reconstruct the past with only a fraction of what existed before.

Date: Late Prehistoric Tradition (3,000 ya – 300 ya)
Material Class: Lithics – Chipped Stone

Want to learn more? Visit the exhibit By Land and By Sea currently on view at the Center.