24 Items Tagged

Tools

Atlatls use leverage to launch spears faster and farther than hand-thrown javelins.

How Ancient Dart Launchers Changed the Game for Early Female Hunters

A female archaeologist is challenging the idea of men as hunters and women as gatherers, one throw at a time.

Roxanne Hoorn September 5, 2023

Pen Hospital

Pen Hospital

For more than 70 years, this small shop has been a go-to for Kolkata's fountain pen connoisseurs and collectors.

George McJunkin, a self-taught naturalist, found numerous ancient stone tools, ceramics, and animal bones while working in New Mexico.

The Story of George McJunkin, a Hidden Figure in North American Archaeology

The self-taught naturalist found a site that would transform scientific views about Native Americans in North America.

Stephen E. Nash February 21, 2022

'Mètre à Ruban'

A massively oversized measuring tape sculpture sits inside a hidden yard.

A touch of fire helped colonial Americans through many winters.

colonial america

Make a Colonial American Cocktail With Ale, Rum, and Fire

The smoky, creamy Hot Ale Flip is a testament to crude ingenuity.

Luke Fater May 13, 2020

Inside Ohio's Experimental Archaeology Lab

Quelfénec Neolithic Site

Plussulien, France

Quelfénec Neolithic Site

This stone quarry was used to make axes and other tools more than 6,000 years ago.

Karl, a museum favorite.

Leavenworth, Washington

Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum

This impressively large collection includes crackers shaped like Jimmy Carter, Mickey Mouse, and more.

Grime's Graves Neolithic flint mines.

Lynford, England

Grime's Graves

A strange and ancient landscape hides the dark, cavernous remains of a 5,000-year-old flint mine.

objects of intrigue

A CIA-Issued Rectal Tool Kit for Spies

This imaginative gadget was designed to get operatives out of difficult situations.

Lizzie Philip January 24, 2019

Video • Object of Intrigue

A CIA-Issued Rectal Tool Kit for Spies

Two different styles of chasen

Matcha Chasen

To make the perfect matcha, start with the perfect whisk.

Corn Knives

Early American settlers invented new tools to harvest a new crop.

Tinder Fungus

One of the earliest fire-starting “technologies.”

Antica Aguzzeria del Cavallo

Once known for its horse-powered knife sharpening, this 200-year-old shop offers an array of blades and hard-to-find culinary tools.

Tête de Moine

"Monk's Head" cheese requires a special shaver.

Sharkskin Wasabi Grater

Traditional sushi chefs produce optimal condiments with this ancient tool.

The Boston Stabber

This praised oyster shucker is as elegant as it is dangerous.