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Hit 500 artifact IDs at the lab this week and realized I've been misidentifying flintknapping debris as tools
It wasn't until I counted up my 500th entry that I noticed over half of what I called 'scrapers' were just waste flakes from someone making arrowheads, has anyone else had that gut punch moment where your own numbers call out your mistakes?
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ryan_ellis10d agoMost Upvoted
500 entries isn't a mistake, @tyler_bell - it's proof those "waste flakes" actually ARE tools if you look closer.
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tyler_bell10d ago
Honestly, grab a reference guide on debitage vs. tools, it'll save you weeks of second-guessing down the line. The good news is those waste flakes still hold data about the knapper's technique which can be pretty useful for your broader analysis. Keep at it though, we've all been there and it gets way clearer once you know what to look for lol.
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