How to Date Stone Tools

Stone tools are often difficult for the average person to date conclusively except by comparing them to other tools whose age is already known

In archeology, "lithic" means stone, particularly any stone that has been modified by a human hand. Recognizing and then dating ancient tools is both a science and a skill and can only be done by an expert in the field, someone who has studied ancient stone tools and their methods of construction. While carbon dating cannot be done directly on a stone tool, many times tools have organic handles attached to them or they are found among organic materials that can be carbon dated, thereby giving us the age of the tool. In most cases however, the amateur anthropologist must compare the tool in question to others of a known time period.

Things You'll Need

• Training in stone tool-making and recognition

Instructions

1. Study everything you can about the kinds of stone tools you are are trying to date. Become familiar with the methods used for creating tools during different time periods as well as the different stones that were used in those time periods.

2. Make note of any other objects found near the stone tools, especially any objects such as pottery that were found in the same layer of soil as the tools. It is likely that these objects were made at approximately the same time as the stone tools and could help in establishing their age.

3. Compare your stone tools to photos or drawings of other tools that are similar. Find other tools that have enough of the same characteristics as the tools you are trying to date and you can feel confident your tools and those tools were made at about the same time, and date your tools accordingly.

4. Take the stone tools in question to a university with a well-regarded archeology department and request an expert analysis of the tools by the university's trained specialists.

Tips & Warnings

• Chemical and radiocarbon dating techniques, as well as other highly technical techniques, can be used to date a stone tool, but these methods are generally not available to the average person.

References

• Archaeology Expert: Stone Tool Experts
• Missouri Archaeological Society: Common Point Tyoes of Missouri
• Native Tech: Common Stone Types
• Australian National University: Terms Used in Lithic Analysis