Microlith · Mesolithic
Microlith
10000–5000 BCE, Natufian
The microlith is the tiny bladelet segment of the Mesolithic of Europe and the Epipalaeolithic Near East, about 10,000 to 5,000 BCE, shaped by abrupt retouch into triangles, trapezes, crescents and rods for insertion into arrows and composite tools. It defines the period. British and European fieldwalking produces them in numbers.
| Object | Microlith |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10000–5000 BCE |
| Period | Mesolithic |
| Cultures | Natufian |
| Regions | Europe — Western & Central, Europe — Northern & British Isles, Near East & Mesopotamia |
Diagnostic traits
Tiny bladelet segment shaped into a triangle, trapeze, crescent or rod by abrupt retouch for insertion into composite tools.
Identification
Microliths are under 3 cm, made on bladelets with abrupt backing, and are separated into Early Mesolithic broad blade forms (obliquely blunted points, large triangles) and Late Mesolithic narrow blade forms (scalene triangles, rods, trapezes). They differ from Natufian lunates in shape and retouch. Microburins are the waste from the notch technique.
Reproductions and fakes
Rarely worth faking; modern knapping demonstrations produce bladelets that occasionally enter lots. Patina on flint is the usual guide.
Elsewhere
- Wikidata: Q164777
- Wikipedia: microlith
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Microlith" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/microlith. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-microlith,
title = {Microlith},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/microlith}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.