This lava is then rapidly cooled upon exiting the volcano’s chamber this cooling normally occurs naturally when lava comes in contact with a body of water, such as a large lake or pond. Obsidian, a type of black volcanic glass, which is the byproduct of volcanic eruptions that eject silica-rich lava onto the surface of the Earth.
Within this paper, I hope to shed light on the question of how Aztecs utilized obsidian throughout the various processes of their death culture.
TOOLS FOR MAKING OBSIDIAN BLADES DRIVER
This death culture has fascinated historians and scientists alike, with its complexity and rather foreign ideas being the chief driver of this curiosity. The Aztecs used obsidian for a number of special purposes, but perhaps, the most important of these purposes lay within their intricate and often gruesome death culture. One of the most remarkable relationships between humans and local geology that is incredibly well documented, is the Aztecs and their relationship to the igneous rock known as obsidian or a specific type of volcanic glass. Geology and human beings have been linked together in unique and interesting ways since the dawn of human-kind as a species, with many tales of their relationship being recorded, thanks to the invention of writing. It took a few trials to ensure a proper test.Aztec codex image depicting the macuahuitl (Wiki) Not that it was hard to hold but because you can't allow your hand to come in contact with the test device as the test media is being cut. Holding the piece of obsidian proved to be the only slightly challenging part of the process. We tested the the newly flintknapped piece of obsidian. A lower number indicates that it took less force to cut the test media. This device works by measuring the maximum force it takes to cut a piece of test media. Not only do we sell this machine, but we use it to test products and evaluate sharpening techniques.
Testingįor testing to be objective, I used the Edge On Up PT50A Industrial Sharpness Tester from our shop. If there is any advice I'd pass along for the first time flintknapping enthusiast, I would say wear safety glasses and work in an area that you don't mind being contaminated with glass like shards. My example wasn't pretty, but I was able to achieve what I thought was a sharp edge. I am definitely not a flintknapping expert so the purpose of this experiment wasn't to test my skills at crafting a fine blade, but rather to see if I could make an edge that would be as sharp or sharper than a steel edge.
In practice, flintkanpping involves striking a piece of rock to break it into sharp flakes. Obsidian is very hard, so I tested obsidian. Flintknappingįlintknapping is the technique used to make an edged tool out of stone such as obsidian, flint and chert. I have heard stories that an obsidian edge can be sharper than a steel blade but I can easily sharpen a steel knife to where my thumb will say it is really sharp. My thumb test came up with really sharp, but I wanted to know more. My thumb only has 4 levels of sharpness really dull, dull, sharp and really sharp. While an obsidian edge definitely feels sharp, I needed more granular detail than my calibrated thumb could provide. This made it possible to be objective about the edge. Fortunately, I have access to the Edge On Up PT50A Industrial Sharpness Tester. If you're not familiar with obsidian, it is a glass like stone that was used historically for making arrowheads and knives. If you're anything like me, the thought of quantifying the sharpness of an obsidian knife is pretty exciting.
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