Federmesser

A small backed blade, about the size and shape of penknife blades, which were the most distinctive artifacts of the Final Glacial peoples of the north European plain during the Allerød Oscillation (c 9850-8850 BC). Similar bladelets occur in the related Creswellian culture of Britain and the blades are very similar to the Azilian point. They are backed blades tapering to a point, and were probably used as arrowheads. They tend to have curved or angled backs unlike the earlier Gravette points.

Literally, a pen-knife point. Points of this type are a typical constituent of assemblages of flint tools in northern Europe dating from the last few millennia of the last ice age. They are backed blades tapering to a point, and were probably used as arrowheads. They tend to have curved or angled backs unlike the earlier Gravette points (see Gravettian). A group of cultures is named after them.