CORES



CORES
A core is a "Block of raw material from which flakes, blades or bladelets are detached " (Tixier 1974, 14).

"A mass of material often preformed by the worker to the desired shape to allow the removal of a definite type of flake or blade. Piece of isotropic (homogeneous) material bearing negative flake scars, or scar. Cores can be embryonic, such as a piece of natural unprepared raw material with scar, or scars, reflecting the detachment of one or more flakes" (Crabtree 1982. 30).

A core is almost always a waste product, though some cores were used as scrapers. It is often not possible to determine how many stages of reduction it has undergone or the original intention of the knapper.

Also found in the literature as ´nucleus´, the French term for core.

The simplest forms of cores are described by the number of
core platforms and whether the negative removals indicate blade or flake production. For example- single platform core, double platform blade core.


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conical blade core
A conical blade core has one core platform, which may or may not be prepared. Blades are removed around the circumference of the platform. The end opposite the platform normally tapers, more or less, to a point. Damage to this end of the core, in the form of crushing or removals, is rarely encountered. This implies that these cores were wedged in a soft material (such as wood) during production.
Blade cores may also be cylindrical.

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conical microblade core
A conical microblade core has one platform, which may or may not be prepared. Microblades are removed around the circumference of the platform. The end opposite the platform normally tapers, more or less, to a point.

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handle core
A handle core has one core platform, is made on a large thick flake and is characterized by a distinctive unworked or slightly shaped ´handle´ section. The platform is plain utilizing either a negative flake scar or the positive side of a bulb of percussion (Vang Petersen 1984, 12). From this platform microblades are detached primarily from the front section of the core. These removals do not extend onto the ´handle´ section of this artifact type.

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cylindrical blade core
A cylindrical blade core has two opposing platforms. One end often serves as the main platform for the removal of blades - the opposing platform is frequently used only to straighten the face of the core and correct knapping errors. Removals are taken from around the full circumference of the platform. Frequently, preparation flakes are removed from the platform to adjust the angle of detachment (Coulson 1986, 21).Although this core type is considered to be primarily for the manufacture of blades, numbers of flakes are also produced during the core preparation and correction stages.

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keeled core
The keeled core is used to produce flakes from its single plain core platform. The base of the core, or the ´keel´, is frequently formed by alternate removals from a process resembling cresting. It is also common to find that one end has a relatively unmodified section from which few or no removals have been taken. Its shallow depth and the well-prepared face of the front of this core type has often led to it being identified as a side scraper (Helskog et al 1976. 19).

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multiple platform core
A multiple platform core has more than two distinct remaining platforms - this usually includes one or two principle striking surfaces, as well as traces of former platforms. In contrast to the unprepared and opportunistic platforms found on irregular cores or amorphous cores these striking surfaces can be well prepared and are frequently used for the detachment of multiple removals. Normally this core type is restricted to flake production.

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bipolar core
A bipolar core is a much disputed core type (see among others Kobayashi 1975; Patterson 1976; Shott 1989; Thorsberg1985).
As stated by Shott 1989, 2, "there are nearly as many definitions or descriptions of bipolar reduction as there are bipolar objects". Most of the controversy centres around whether these artifacts served as cores or wedges or both.
A clear and workable definition of bipolar technique is given by Crabtree 1982., 16, where it is considered as the "technique of resting a core, or lithic implement, on an anvil and striking the core with a percussor. Contrary to popular belief, bulbs of force are not present on both ends of bipolar flakes or blades. This technique causes the cone of force to be shattered or severed".
One other salient property of bipolar reduction is the application of massive, but poorly controlled force (Shott 1989, 2). When reducing some raw materials, such as small rock crystals, the virtues of this technique can be appreciated. However, where the bipolar technique has been used on larger pieces this application of force would appear as a last resort in the attempt to obtain potentially usable flakes.

N.B. outside of Scandinavia a core that has a platform at both ends is often referred to as a bipolar core. For example, a cylindrical blade core that has two opposed platforms might be referred to as bipolar.

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irregular core
Irregular cores, amorphous or globular are all terms used to describe this core type. It is the most common core type as it is often the final attempt of a knapper to extract the last usable flakes from a piece of material. By definition it is irregular in shape and can have any number of remaining usable or abandoned striking platforms. This stage of production often obliterates all indications of previous manufacture.

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