Lithics Terminology

The process of confirming that a PointCheck report has not been altered. Each report includes a SHA-256 hash of the original images; verification checks that the hash matches, proving the photos haven't been swapped. This confirms report integrity, not artifact authenticity.

The negative impression left after a flake is struck off, showing the direction and force of removal.

Intentional smoothing of base edges to prevent cutting haft bindings and improve haft fit.

Removing small, controlled flakes by pressing with a tool to refine edges and notches.

A flake termination that curves and stops abruptly, leaving a rounded ‘hinge’ end.

A flake termination that breaks at a sharp step, often from force misdirection or flaws.

A removal that travels across the piece and removes the opposite edge, common in some Paleo styles.

Shell-like break pattern typical of knappable stone when struck correctly.

The prepared spot struck to detach a flake; its angle and shape influence flake travel.

Cutting or flaking inset areas on the base or sides for hafting or stylistic purposes.

The weathered outer rind of raw stone; residual cortex can show early-stage reduction.

Microscopic smoothing, striations, or rounding on edges from use or handling.

Surface change (staining, luster, mineral deposits) from long-term exposure or burial.

Attaching the point to a shaft or handle using bindings, mastic, and prepared bases.

Low, oblique lighting that casts small shadows to reveal ridges, flake scars, and retouch.

Controlled heating of stone to improve knappability; often changes color and luster.

Small, secondary flaking to sharpen, thin, or reshape edges after primary reduction.

A long channel flake removed from the base of a point toward the tip, leaving a distinctive groove on one or both faces — thought to aid hafting. Fluting is the defining trait of famous Paleo types like Clovis and Folsom, and it is technically demanding: many attempts snapped the point. A convincing flute is one of the first things examined on any claimed Paleo piece.

The craft of shaping stone tools by striking flakes off a core (percussion) and pressing them off (pressure flaking). It is a living skill with an active modern community — which is exactly why reproductions exist: the technology that made ancient points was never lost. Modern knappers often sign their work; unsigned pieces resold as ancient are where fraud begins.

Fine-grained silica rocks that fracture predictably (conchoidally), making them the most common raw materials for North American points. 'Flint' and 'chert' are essentially the same material — collectors often say flint, geologists chert. Named varieties (Burlington, Knife River, Georgetown) have known source areas, so material can support or undermine a claimed find location.

Natural volcanic glass, capable of the sharpest edges of any knappable stone. Common in western North American assemblages near volcanic sources. Obsidian can be scientifically dated via hydration-rim analysis, and its source can often be identified chemically — both useful authentication signals unavailable for most cherts.

The two most common hafting-notch placements, and a primary type diagnostic. Side notches enter from the lateral edges, leaving an eared or squared base below them (e.g., Big Sandy, Brewerton Side Notch). Corner notches enter at the junction of edge and base, typically producing barbed shoulders and an expanding stem (e.g., Kirk, Snyders, Lost Lake).

The downward-pointing projections of the blade left beside notches — the 'shoulders' that flare below a corner-notched blade. Pronounced barbs are diagnostic for several types, and because they are fragile, intact barbs on a heavily resharpened piece deserve a closer look.

A deliberately toothed blade edge produced by fine pressure flaking, common on Early Archaic types like Kirk Serrated and many Dalton points. Genuine serrations show wear consistent with the rest of the piece; crisp, uniform serrations on an otherwise aged surface can indicate modern rework.

An unfinished point — roughed to shape but not yet notched, fluted, or final-thinned. Preforms are genuine artifacts and common finds near workshop sites, but they are also a fraud vector: an authentic ancient preform can be modern-finished into a 'rare' type, pairing old surface patina with fresh flake scars.

Worked on both faces. Nearly all finished projectile points are bifacial, and 'biface' is the general term for any two-faced worked stone, from crude quarry blanks to finished knives. The uniformity and coverage of bifacial flaking helps distinguish finished tools from naturally broken rock ('geofacts').

A spear-throwing lever that dramatically increases dart velocity, used for thousands of years before the bow reached North America. Most of what collectors call 'arrowheads' — anything much over an inch long, roughly — actually tipped atlatl darts or spears. True arrow points appear only in the last ~1,500–2,000 years, and they are small.