Prepared Core Blade Production — Upper Palaeolithic Flint Knapping

Prepared core blade production was one of the most significant technological advances of the Upper Palaeolithic (roughly 40,000 to 10,000 years ago). Rather than knapping individual tools from a nodule one at a time, the blade core technique involves shaping a flint or obsidian nodule into a carefully prepared conical or cylindrical core from which multiple long, thin, parallel-sided blades can be struck in rapid sequence. A single well-prepared core can yield 10 to 20 usable blades, each with razor-sharp edges and a consistent cross-section. This represented a massive improvement in material efficiency — the same volume of raw flint produced five to ten times more cutting edge than earlier Acheulean hand-axe technology. The key innovation is platform preparation: creating and maintaining a flat striking platform at the top of the core, and shaping the core geometry so that each blade removal sets up the correct ridge for the next. Blade removal uses indirect percussion — a bone or antler punch placed on the platform edge and struck with a hammerstone — which gives far more control than direct striking. The resulting blades served as blanks for knives, scrapers, burins, and composite tools when hafted into bone or wooden handles.