Debitage

Debitage is like the crumbs left over when you cut your sandwich into smaller pieces. It's the small bits of rock that are left over when someone chips off pieces to make a bigger tool, like an arrowhead or spear point.

Imagine you have a big rock and you want to make it into something useful. You might use another rock to hit it and chip off small pieces until you have the shape you want. The small pieces that are left behind are called debitage.

Archaeologists use debitage to learn about the people who made the tools. They can tell what kind of rocks were used, how the tools were made, and even how old they are by studying the debitage. It's like a breadcrumb trail that helps scientists learn more about our history!