John C. Whittaker

John Charles Whittaker (born September 6, 1953) is an American archaeologist and professor at Grinnell College. Whittaker's research focuses on prehistoric technology and experimental archaeology, specializing particularly in stone tools and atlatls. He has also worked in natural history and ecology, zooarchaeology, and paleoethnobotany.

Early life and education Whittaker studied anthropology at Cornell University. He began to learning to knap flint in his sophomore year, in 1972. Lacking chert or obsidian to practice with, he used the glass from broken soda bottles. Early on, he had to take a brief hiatus from knapping after he accidentally severed two tendons in his left index finger with a glass flake. In his third year at Cornell, Whittaker worked on the archaeological site of in France and studied under François Bordes. Bordes taught Whittaker learned how to knap chert and deepened his interest in the craft. He also met expert knappers Mark Newcomer and Jacques Pelegrin.

Whittaker later attended the University of Arizona as a graduate student, where he continued to work on experimental archaeology. Along with his colleague Harold Dibble, Whittaker developed a mechanical device that flaked stone in a controlled, repeatable manner. This allowed for the precise study of the effects of force on reduction angles. In 1979, Whittaker and Dibble taught a course on experimental archaeology and knapping. Whittaker obtained his master's degree from Arizona in 1979 and his doctorate in 1984. He was appointed a full professor in 2001.

Awards World Atlatl Association, Top 10 Award, 2000, 2001, 2006 World Atlatl Association, President's Award, 2012

Selected publications 1994: Flintknapping: Making and Understanding Stone Tools 1999: Surviving Adversity: The Sinagua of Lizard Man Village 2004: American Flintknappers: Stone Age Art in the Age of Computers