Objects of the Region: Folsom (10,800–10,300 BP) Ultrathin Biface

Cultural Time Period: Paleoindian Folsom (10,800–10,300 BP)

Category: Prehistoric Stone Tools

Folsom hunter-gatherers were highly mobile traveling hundreds of miles on foot. A large part of this mobility was hunting an ancient form of bison called Bison antiquus. To reduce the amount of material to carry, Folsom flintknappers made their stone tools incredibly light and versatile. Ultrathin bifaces were made to be extremely thin. These bifaces had a width/thickness ratio of 8 to 1 or greater.

Ultrathin bifaces were used as a highly portable knife and the thin flakes removed from these bifaces were used to make other tools and Folsom projectile points. When fragmented the ultrathin biface segments were also recycled into Folsom points and other tool types. Manufacturing ultrathin bifaces required a high level of skill similar to fluting Folsom points. This ultrathin biface 3D model is now available to view and 3D print on SketchFab.