A microlith is a small stone tool usually made of flint or chert and typically a centimetre or so in length and half a centimetre wide. They were made by humans from around 35,000 to 3,000 years ago, across Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. The microliths were used in spear points and arrowheads.
Kebaran culture microliths from a flint prepared core, 22,000–18,000 BP.
Microlith productions, Kebaran culture, 22,000–18,000 BP
Backed edge bladelet
Truncated bladelet
Microblade technology is a period of technological microlith development marked by the creation and use of small stone blades, which are produced by chipping silica-rich stones like chert, quartz, or obsidian. Blades are a specialized type of lithic flake that are at least twice as long as they are wide. An alternate method of defining blades focuses on production features, including parallel lateral edges and dorsal scars, a lack of cortex, a prepared platform with a broad angle, and a proximal bulb of percussion. Microblades are generally less than 50 mm long in their finished state.
Here is an example of two microblades and a microblade core.
16,000-14,000 year old microblades found at Fukui cave in Japan, arranged as they would on a spear tip.
