This chert macroblade core is from Camooweal in northwest Queensland, the traditional country of the Indjilandji-Dhidanu people.  The core was reduced to produce macroblades for spearpoints or knives.

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Two point-shaped scars are evident on this core. To produce a pointed macroblade, the stoneworker struck the platform so that the flake would feather-terminate on a ridge formed by two prior flake removals. When successful, this resulted in a pointed flake requiring little or no shaping retouch, and thus extremely sharp edges. Because the flake often terminated prior to reaching the end of the core, the core face tended to become ‘undercut’. Continued reduction required flattening of this undercut morphology, usually by striking non-pointed flakes the full length of the core.  Scars from this can be seen on the distal end of this core. The last attempt at a full-length flake terminated in a deep hinge, and the core was discarded.

The core is part of the Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology teaching collection, University of New England.

See the annotations for technological details about this stone tool.