O.k. I just thought I might be alienating some folks, or getting into interesting disscussions, but outside the sites focus. There is a sub discipline in Archaeology ( want a doctorate? invent a specialty) called experimental or replicative. These are the folks who literally duplicate lost skills, from Roman catapults to entire iron age villages. My experience has shown, that far from being inferior, these skills are often extremely sophisticated. I destroyed several imported flint nodules before fabricating one fair hand axe If I was in a survival situation I could, and have started a friction fire or knapped a blade. I would prefer (and so would any traditional person) a box of matches and a steel knife. Unfortuneatly, many, not all instructors are selling a package that includes a philosophy or world view. Again interesting, but not to me crawling out of a crumpled sailplane in the snow.