Conjoin stone tool - Australian Museum

Image: Conjoin stone tool

Description

Conjoins are two or more artefacts that have been fitted together by an archaeologist.

By refitting artefacts, archaeologists can determine the sequence of flaking that took place when implements were made. They can also learn about the method used to remove the flakes from the core. If you look at this conjoin, you can see that each flake was struck from the same direction.

This conjoin is composed of mudstone, and consists of six red and yellow flakes and a core. The core body was originally a large pebble or part of a pebble. Some of the pieces (red) were affected by heat that may have been intentional or accidental (from campfires or bushfires).

The artefacts pieced together in this conjoin were recovered during an excavation on sites that were to be destroyed by coal mining in the Hunter valley of New South Wales.