Vast quantities of artefacts of fine grey or black Portland chert have been found on the Culverwell site. It is only possible to discuss a few of the most common tool-types in this programme.

Microliths: On most sites of the Mesolithic period, the most characteristic artefacts (i.e. artificially made by people) include tiny tools called microliths. These little tools are made from small blades, measuring anything from 4 or 5 mm to 1 or 2 cms. From finds made on Danish sites, it appears that these tiny tools were hafted by cutting a narrow groove into a piece of bone or stick, and then used for various purposes, for instance, as spears, saws or knives.

There are about 27 different types of microliths, but some archaeologists use different methods of classification. A total of 573 microliths have been found in the excavated areas of the site although this total would be much higher if the whole site had been excavated.

The main types at Culverwell are scalene triangles, followed by simple forms in which part or the whole of one side of a small blade has been worked.

Picks: The next most frequently found tool on the Culverwell site are picks. This tool is found in large numbers on all mesolithic sites on Portland but is far rarer on sites of the same period elsewhere in the country. This is probably due to the fact that tabular pieces of stone, roughly resembling a pick, occur naturally in large numbers in the rubbly stone material above the Raised Beaches round the cliffs of the Island
(see Environment).
It often takes only two or three blows with a hard pebble to turn a natural piece of tabular stone into a useful tool.

A collection of 11 picks in various stages of completion were found next to hearth 4 (Culverwell)

Experiments have shown that these picks are ideal for digging up edible plants.

Other tool types:

Scrapers for working bone, skins or wood is an important element in any mesolithic tool-kit.

Gravers or burins are tools with one or more edges worked to form a chisel-like tool for working wood or bone

.

Worked blades or flakes are used for many tasks, e.g. as knives, saws and as awls to pierce holes.

Chopping-tools and hammer-stones are heavy tools made from pebbles by removing just a few flakes from one or two places. They are used for heavy duty activities, such as breaking open molluscs, pounding tough roots and hitting in posts. At Culverwell they occur in large numbers round the hearths (see Culverwell).

Counter-sunk pebbles with hollows on both faces, were sometimes used as hammerstones.

The following figure show more examples of tools found at Culverwell.