Don Crabtree (1912-1980) has been called the “Dean of American flintknappers”
A pioneer in the field of experimental archeology, he produced publications and seminal videos on the science of flint knapping, heat treatment, and stone tool technology.
A contemporary and colleague of influential archeologists, such as Francis Bordes, Earl Swanson, RuthAnn Knudson, and Jacques Tixier, Crabtree influenced later generations of archeologists through his flintknapping field schools.
As Tixier said, Don Crabtree “was able to communicate with prehistoric man by remaking the same movements, guided by the same concepts. He rediscovered thermal treatment of siliceous rocks, to make them more brilliant, more colorful, easier to knap. He remains a model to many.
