Striking platform
Encyclopedia
In lithic reduction
, the striking platform is the surface on the proximal portion of a lithic flake
on which the detachment blow fell; this may be natural or prepared. Types of striking platforms include:
Lithic reduction
Lithic reduction involves the use of a hard hammer precursor, such as a hammerstone, a soft hammer fabricator , or a wood or antler punch to detach lithic flakes from a lump of tool stone called a lithic core . As flakes are detached in sequence, the original mass of stone is reduced; hence the...
, the striking platform is the surface on the proximal portion of a lithic flake
Lithic flake
In archaeology, a lithic flake is a "portion of rock removed from an objective piece by percussion or pressure," and may also be referred to as a chip or spall, or collectively as debitage. The objective piece, or the rock being reduced by the removal of flakes, is known as a core. Once the proper...
on which the detachment blow fell; this may be natural or prepared. Types of striking platforms include:
- Cortex, which consists of an area of cortex used as a platform during initial reduction;
- Single-faceted, consisting of a flat platform at right angles to the dorsal surface of the flake and most often associated with conchoidal fractureConchoidal fractureConchoidal fracture describes the way that brittle materials break when they do not follow any natural planes of separation. Materials that break in this way include flint and other fine-grained minerals, as well as most amorphous solids, such as obsidian and other types of glass.Conchoidal...
s; - Double-faceted, a variety of multifaceted, prepared platform, also characteristically flat and associated with conchoidal fractures;
- Multifaceted, with three or more facets to the platform;
- Lipped, a platform type resulting from soft hammer biface reduction; and
- Crushed, which occurs when the platform was crushed beyond easy recognition by the detachment blow.