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Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center / Past Cultures

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Drill

Drill

Drills were sometimes crafted from broken projectile points or knives, and they vary greatly in shape. Although drills were used throughout prehistory, they are not typically diagnostic of specific archaeological periods. Drills would have been used for perforating a variety of materials such as wood, bone, shell, leather, or soft stones like pipestone. This stone drill from Lincoln County, Wisconsin, is made of a fine-grained silicified sandstone.

Link to MVAC video on drills.

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MVAC Educational Programs are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these programs do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. This project was supported in part by the National Science Foundation. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation.