Billet is a term with multiple meanings depending on context—archaeological, metallurgical, and cultural. In anthropology and material studies, it often refers to a tool or raw form used in production.

🌍 Definitions

• Lithic Technology (Archaeology):
  • A billet is a soft hammer used in flintknapping, typically made of antler, bone, or wood.
  • Used for percussion flaking to remove controlled flakes from a stone core.
  • Softer than stone hammers, billets produce thinner, more precise flakes.
• Metallurgy / Industrial Materials:
  • A billet is a semi-finished piece of metal (steel, aluminum, etc.), usually cast or extruded into a bar or cylinder.
  • Serves as raw stock for forging, rolling, or machining into finished products.
• Historical / Cultural:
  • In medieval and early modern contexts, a billet could mean a short letter or note.
  • In military history, billeting refers to lodging soldiers in civilian houses.

🔑 Anthropological & Archaeological Contexts

• Flintknapping:
  • Antler billets are crucial for bifacial thinning and pressure flaking.
  • They allow artisans to control fracture mechanics of chert, flint, or obsidian.
• Material Culture:
  • Billets embody the relationship between organic tools (antler, bone) and mineral artifacts (stone tools).
• Industrial Parallel:
  • Just as billets in metallurgy are raw stock for shaping, antler billets are raw tools for shaping stone.

In short: A billet is either a soft hammer used in lithic flaking, a semi-finished metal bar in metallurgy, or historically a note or soldier’s lodging—each reflecting raw material or intermediary function in cultural and industrial processes.