Bifacial

/baɪˈfeɪʃəl/ adjective

Definition

Having two faces or surfaces, especially in archaeology describing tools that are worked on both sides to create sharp edges.

Etymology

From 'bi-' (two) + 'facial' (relating to faces/surfaces). The term became standard in archaeological and anthropological discourse to describe the manufacturing technique of early stone tools.

Kelly Says

The term 'bifacial' is how scientists discovered that Paleolithic humans were actually quite sophisticated—the symmetry and precision of bifacial tools suggests they had mental templates in mind before striking the first blow, not just randomly chipping away.

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