Making an Australian Aboriginal edge-ground stone axe

The ‘Stone Flaking Techniques’ video series by the Museum of Stone Tools demonstrate some of the flaking techniques that were used to make tools from the origins of the technology, ca. 3.3 million years ago, to the recent past. The techniques are demonstrated by Professor Mark Moore, Museum Director and archaeologist at the University of New England in Australia. This video demonstrates the techniques used by Aboriginal Australians to make edge-ground stone axes. The earliest edge-ground axes in the world are found in Australia, dating up to 45,000 years ago. Similar techniques were used to make axes and adzes around the world. The video begins with percussion flaking of a large flake of tough dolerite rock using a hammerstone. This is followed by pecking directly onto the edges of the axe to dull the edges and refine the shape. Next the cutting end of the axe is shaped by pecking (hammer dressing) with a sharp chunk of silcrete. Finally the edge is ground onto the axe, first using a large relatively coarse sandstone grinding stone, followed by a finer-grained sandstone, and finishing by edge-honing with small pieces of sandstone.