Epistemic Status: Memory. I learnt this (weirdly) in an astrobiology course at University. And through long personal interest in prehistory.
I know that the stone heads themselves are flint. To get it into the shape you want, you have to hit the flint with a harder rock. You hit it for (I think) hours[1], in precise places around the edges. Inexperienced people may hit the flint too hard, when it’s nearing completion, shattering hours of work, and requiring the process to start again. I have heard learning how to make good spear heads can take quite a long time.
[Edit: I think I was wrong about the Hours thing. In David Miles’ “Tale of the Axe” he claims it takes ~20 minutes for an experienced individual to Knapp a flint hand-axe.]
Epistemic Status: Memory. I learnt this (weirdly) in an astrobiology course at University. And through long personal interest in prehistory.
I know that the stone heads themselves are flint. To get it into the shape you want, you have to hit the flint with a harder rock. You hit it for (I think)
hours[1][Edit: I think I was wrong about the Hours thing. In David Miles’ “Tale of the Axe” he claims it takes ~20 minutes for an experienced individual to Knapp a flint hand-axe.]