What did preliterate humans use to create petroglyphs?

Preliterate humans used simple tools such as chisels hammers and drills to create petroglyphs. Petroglyphs were created by carving chiseling abrading pecking and engraving designs onto the surface of a rock. Depending on the type of rock chosen the tools used to create petroglyphs varied. For example softer rocks such as sandstone required less effort to create the desired design whereas harder rocks such as granite required more effort and specialized tools. Some of the materials used to produce petroglyphs included:

• Chisels made from stone bone antlers or flint
• Hammers made from stone bone antlers or wood
• Drills made from wood stone bone or antlers

In addition to the tools listed above some preliterate cultures also used pigments such as pigments derived from clay charcoal or even blood to create more colorful petroglyphs. These pigments were applied to the rock using brushes made from twigs or feathers.