This replica Chalcolithic hollow-based point was made from Georgetown chert by flintknapper John Kiernan in 2020.
The replica in this model is of a hollow-based arrowhead like those found with burials in the Tholos of Montelirio in Spain. A tholos is a circular burial tomb, and the Tholos of Montelirio dates to the Chalcolithic period, ca. 4800-4900 BP. The arrowheads found there are exceptional in the depth of the basal indentations and delicacy of the long ears. Kiernan made this replica from Georgetown flint using a soft iron nail. Based on his extensive replication experiments, Kiernan believes that the Chalcolithic arrowheads with extreme basal indentations were made using bronze-alloy pressure flakers. He uses a special holding technique to prevent the ears from fracturing during manufacture.
John Kiernan is a contemporary flintknapper based in Texas who first became interested in stone technology after finding a point on his family’s ranch in Colorado when he was eight years old. He is well-versed in a variety of flintknapping techniques world-wide and is particularly well-known for his intricate eccentrics and replicas of European arrowheads. Kiernan earned an MA degree in archaeology from the University of Exeter in 2018 for experimentally testing the efficiency of British Neolithic flint daggers as combat weapons.
