Flint Arrowhead

Size:3 x 1 x 11 cms

Weight: 25 grams 

Product Description

A flint arrowhead is a hand-crafted projectile point traditionally used by Indigenous cultures for hunting and warfare. Carefully shaped through a process known as flintknapping, these arrowheads typically feature a pointed tip, sharp edges, and notches or a stem for attaching to a wooden shaft. Flint arrowheads are valued not only for their functional use but also for their historical and cultural significance. Today, they are commonly found as artifacts and collected for educational, archaeological, or decorative purposes.

Each arrowhead is unique, with variations in size, shape, and craftsmanship that reflect the techniques and cultural styles of the people who made them.

Geological Information:

Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It is usually found in nodules within limestone or chalk formations, formed millions of years ago during the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods. Flint forms from the remains of marine organisms like sponges and radiolarians, whose silica-rich skeletons gradually accumulate and crystallize over time.

Common sources of high-quality flint include regions in the UK (such as southern England), France, Germany, and parts of the central United States (like Ohio, Illinois, and Texas). Flint’s fine-grained structure and predictable fracture patterns make it ideal for shaping sharp-edged tools and weapons.

Key Characteristics of Flint:

• Color: Typically grey, black, brown, or tan, sometimes with banding or mottled patterns

• Texture: Smooth surface with a waxy or glassy luster when freshly broken

• Hardness: Around 7 on the Mohs scale

• Fracture: Conchoidal (smooth, curved break patterns)

Cultural Relevance:

Flint arrowheads are among the most iconic tools of prehistoric cultures around the world. Their use dates back tens of thousands of years, highlighting early human innovation in tool-making and survival techniques. Today, they serve as valuable links to our ancestors' ingenuity, resilience, and connection to the natural world.