In
archaeology, a
hammerstone is a hard cobble used to strike
lithic flakes off a lump of
tool stone during the process of
lithic reduction. Often, a hammerstone is made of a material such as limestone or quartzite, is ovoid in shape (to better fit the human hand) and develops telltale battering on the ends. This technology was of major importance to
prehistoric cultures[?] who had yet to learn to work
metal; today, however, the use of hammerstones is mostly limited to
flintknappers[?] and others who wish to develop a better understanding of how
stone tools were made.
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