Flintknapping a Beaker Dagger and the Bell Beaker Phenomenon

[@jacobverble107]

By far my favorite knapper on youtube. Excellent commentary, and beautiful work! Thank you Sir.

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Thank you! And you’re welcome! Glad you enjoy my videos!

[@markgibsons_SWpottery]

This may be my favorite video of yours! I love this art! Thank you for shring!

[@danielflintknapping]

Very nice dagger!

[@cassieangel2885]

Beautiful dagger!

[@antlerzflintfinder268]

Very awesome reduction it turned out excellent! The size of that Moose billet also! Lol Huge! Thanks for sharing this awesome video Pathways of the Past!

[@pathwaysofthepast]

It was quite the event to make, over two hours of footage when it was all through. Yeah that thing is so massive it’s nearly impractical. Even on large pieces it’s only good for five or so flakes before I have to get a smaller billet. It does peel off some massive flakes though

[@antlerzflintfinder268]

@@pathwaysofthepast I bet it does! Lol what's the total circumference of that thing? My guess 13"

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Haha not sure, I don’t own a flexible measuring tape

[@antlerzflintfinder268]

@@pathwaysofthepast what's the length across

[@pathwaysofthepast]

It’s about 3.25 inches

[@lancemcilwainoutcastmetald5398]

I really like this video. Like seeing you work some bigger points.

[@jeanettewaverly2590]

Gorgeous! And the accompanying narrative was fascinating.

[@andrewbishop2617]

Absolutely beautiful, hi from U,K

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Thanks!

[@rcmore1470]

Great vid so fascinating 🧐 keep up the great work

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Thanks!

[@knapperdad8666]

Awesome Silas. I felt like it was the old days when we knapped together. Nice work.

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Hopefully we can knap together sometime soon!

[@michaelgomez9636]

Great video and amazing skills. Watching you thin this dagger with this precision is like watching a long touchdown pass and catch from my favorite team.

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Thanks man! That means a lot.

[@bienvenidogonzalez7595]

Gracias por ese magnífico video y por enseñarnos tu depurada técnica de talla de sílex. Hasta el próximo video.

[@pathwaysofthepast]

You’re welcome! Until the next video!

[@bienvenidogonzalez7595]

@@pathwaysofthepast Thank you very much for detail

[@augusthermann5111]

Thank you for the Video, Silas. Here in the Area of my Homestead in Germany you can find often Artefacts of the Bell Beaker People.

[@pathwaysofthepast]

You’re welcome! And that’s very cool!

[@miguelbinha]

Spectacular

[@Livefreelivesteong87]

Beautiful

[@maddog45auto66]

It would be so nice to have a big piece of flint like that where I live at in Illinois they're only about a size of a quarter or maybe twice the size of a quarter can't hardly even make Gunflint love watching your videos thanks for sharing them with us

[@pathwaysofthepast]

If you’re in Illinois you’re probably only 2-3 hours at most away from a good source of flint!

[@masonmorgan4]

dude that is one sexy dagger👌 it kinda looks like an Aztec tecpatl dagger the really cool type with the eyes and teeth shaped from sea shells

[@thewalruswasjason101]

Loved this HOWEVER, wish you stayed abo the whole time. My heart broke a teeny bit when you brought out the modern copper tool

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Oops sorry about that! One thing to consider is that Beaker people would have had access to copper and bronze, so it’s not a stretch to use a copper pressure flaker by any means.

[@jimajello1028]

This man of Pathways is absolutely correct in using copper pressure flakers on this reconstruction. The industry of producing these British, Danish & other European Daggers from this Neolithic time period exist in the Archeological record with absolute proof that both organic & smelted copper pressure flakers were used in their production. The first copper Daggers produced in Denmark created a competition extensively ferverent with stone tool makers. It was the direct reason why Denmark's Daggers of stone came into existence. Some of the Stone competive masterpieces show extensive attempts to achieve perfection especially in the stiching patterns that existed on the copper Daggers that were thought to be the greatest technological breakthrough in Daggers produced during that period.

[@jacobverble107]

What are you going to do with the flake @ 2:01? Just curious.

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Good question. I have nothing planned for that flake specifically. However all the flakes from this reduction that could be used to make small points and such were saved. I don’t like to waste good material.

[@jacobverble107]

That was a nice one.

[@BM205]

Very nice and particularly enjoyed the commentary. Is that raw Georgetown?

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Thank you! Yes it is.

[@BM205]

@@pathwaysofthepast 👍 that's wonderful stuff! My favorite un heat treated stone

[@chucklearnslithics3751]

Hey Silas! Just finished a book, "The Horse, The Wheel, and Language", by David Anthony. It got me thinking about Bell Beaker again, so I had to come back and review this one again. In your research, do you know if one of these daggers has ever been found "hafted"? I'm curious about the notching and whether it's intended to be functional or if it serves more for some type of decorative purpose.

[@theyoungoutdoorsman5814]

Awsome video and how about flint knapping a hunter gatherer knife or a utility knife ??? I would love to see that

[@denkendannhandeln]

This is just an absolutely fabulous video. I am in archaeology student at the University of Vienna in Europe, and I have to write an essay about the beaker culture (as we call it Glockenbecher-Kultur), would you allow me to include your video to show it to approximately 50 other students? That would be very kind. Many greetings 🖖

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Thank you! Yes, you are welcome to show my video!

[@123jerro]

is cortex of no knapping value at all?

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Sadly, not really

[@aparson2967]

Silas, these videos are absolutely brilliant! It would be super cool to watch you in a live setting with a college class, or even a boy scout camp. Your knowledge is really unsurpassed. Do you ever hunt primitive? If you tell me your a vegetarian I'm going to puke!

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Thank you! I’m not so great with instructing in a live setting, hence the voiceovers. No I’ve not been able to successfully hunt with implements I’ve made yet.

[@aparson2967]

I think you'd be good at it. Like the old man who whittles a flute for his grandson while dropping little life lessons about patience and details.

[@johnbundy2703]

I’d like to know if these were hafted and if so, how. If they weren’t, what are the notches for?

[@pathwaysofthepast]

Yes those notches were to presumably help attach a handle

[@simonphoenix3789]

If you had to shave, and your choice was between copper or flint... I'm going with flint everytime. Actually, other than axes or other tools where a sharp edge wasn't critical, I think a flint tool would be preferable to copper, given how soft it and how it refuses to take a razor edge.

[@saltwaters2217]

Charlie horse!