Flint has been used by humans to make stone tools for at least two million years. [1] The conchoidal fracture of flint causes it to break into sharp-edged pieces. Early people recognized this property of flint and learned how to fashion it into knife blades, projectile points, scrapers, axes, drills, and other sharp tools.

They developed a method of striking a piece of flint to produce a sharp edge known as flintknapping. Through trial, error and practice they became highly-skilled craftsmen who could manufacture tools with a few quick blows. If the tools were broken or damaged in use, they were often reshaped into smaller tools of similar function.

The value of flint for making sharp tools was discovered and utilized by Stone Age people in almost every early culture located where flint could easily be found. Where flint was not locally available, people often travelled or traded to obtain premade tools or pieces of flint for manufacturing. Their survival depended upon having a durable material that could be used to produce sharp tools.