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Post by rockpickerforever on Feb 6, 2014 12:26:57 GMT -5
This is something I found out at Indian Pass a long time ago. In typical Jean fashion, I did not realize that it might be an artifact until I happened across it a few years later. DOH! I'm not real schooled in man-made stone tools, but this may be one.
Indians lived here in the past, and I'm sure they found the native rocks to their liking for making knives, spearpoints, etc. The material is glassy, and can hold a sharp edge. I think this may be some type of scraper. 
Perfect fit in a hand. 
Edge is chipped from both sides. 
Jean
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 6, 2014 13:00:56 GMT -5
Looks like it may have been a scraper. Nice find.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,602
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Post by jamesp on Feb 6, 2014 13:18:52 GMT -5
Yep. I agree w/Don. The fellow had good taste. That is pretty material.
On second thought, an alien surgical tool for removing human brains. Hope you didn't find it on your pillow one morning.
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 6, 2014 14:08:56 GMT -5
Yep. I agree too. Out towards the Colorado River there is a whole lot of Paleo-Amerind material and they usually did not work the flakes any more than necessary. I've seen a lot of crude knives and scrapers out that way and there is a huge amount of almost identical material out at Yermo east of Barstow, CA right by the Early Man site. Indian Pass was called Indian pass for a reason. Lots of heavily used trails out there. I ran into a guy one time that had some magnificent stone ax heads from out there but of course, it's not legal to collect in most that area.....Mel
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Post by 1dave on Feb 6, 2014 16:25:39 GMT -5
Yes I say, let it lay . . .
for some politician to steal.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Feb 6, 2014 18:12:00 GMT -5
Looks like it may have been a scraper. Nice find. Thanks, Don. Like I said, I'm no expert on stone tools, but it certainly looked like it was altered by man.
Yep. I agree w/Don. The fellow had good taste. That is pretty material. On second thought, an alien surgical tool for removing human brains. Hope you didn't find it on your pillow one morning. No, James, never found it on my pillow, lol! Brains still intact (I think?), sometimes they even work.
Yep. I agree too. Out towards the Colorado River there is a whole lot of Paleo-Amerind material and they usually did not work the flakes any more than necessary. I've seen a lot of crude knives and scrapers out that way and there is a huge amount of almost identical material out at Yermo east of Barstow, CA right by the Early Man site. Indian Pass was called Indian pass for a reason. Lots of heavily used trails out there. I ran into a guy one time that had some magnificent stone ax heads from out there but of course, it's not legal to collect in most that area.....Mel Yes, the Native Americans had a heavy presence in the area. There are a lot of trails that have seen a lot of foot traffic over the years. Most people would not recognize them for what they are, but to me, they really stick out. There is even one south of Quartzsite, that runs north/south for many miles to the west side of Hwy 95. You can even see it on Google maps or Acme Mapper!
Yes I say, let it lay . . . for some politician to steal. Dave, I realize you are being sarcastic, lol. You know they are working on locking up all the public lands and throwing away the key, doncha?
At the time I brought it home, it was just a rock. It is certainly not something I would go out searching for, or expect to find if I did. I will either keep it, putting it in the wall unit that is full of all sorts of other rocks, or give it to a local museum I know of that has a lot of Native American items. I actually took it there a long time ago, but the docent was not in at the time. Never made another trip back there.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,494
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 6, 2014 18:24:29 GMT -5
Yep, there's a big Amerind trading trail NW of Quartzite by a bit too. We camped out there first time I went to Quartzite and there were potsherds everywhere along that trail.
And yeah, I'm sure every one of us has brought out an artifact thinking it was just a rock. Shoot, out at Lavic, there are scrapers and worked flakes all over the place. Almost impossible not to pick up an artifact if you are collecting small pieces for tumbling.....Mel
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Post by 1dave on Feb 6, 2014 18:28:29 GMT -5
Yes Jean, they forced some of my friends out of their established mines on the "Grand Staircase."
What really upsets me is passing laws to make citizens criminals.
One fellow in our area had a business for several decades of selling artifacts. They passed the new law and ruined his life. Several years ago he gave up and put a bullet through his brain. He was a good guy.
The agents constantly harassing him made the Government proud.
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 6, 2014 19:39:42 GMT -5
Jean, here's a whole bunch of similar objects that I collected in the 50's, not far from where you found that piece. my material isn't as pretty as yours, and didn't match the material native to the area, so was probably carried in to be worked. Possibly traded with another tribe.  |
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Post by radio on Feb 6, 2014 20:09:06 GMT -5
Nice find, and pretty material too!
Many years ago when I was first getting into collecting, I was walking along a creek bed on private land and spied a pretty piece of brecciated Jasper. I picked it up and was turning it over and over in my hand admiring it and thinking what pretty cabs it would make if it were just larger. I turned it back over and it just fell in place in my hand and i suddenly realized I had a fantastic scraper complete with thumb groove! I've seen many of them since then and mine is still one of the best formed i have ever seen
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Post by rockpickerforever on Feb 6, 2014 20:26:07 GMT -5
Thanks for posting those, Don. Talk about how rocks were manipulated before electricity! The ones that knew their stuff got to eat and survive.
Thanks, radio, glad you liked it. This tool was obviously formed from material found right there. I've got a very similar looking chunk that could be from the very same rock. I wonder why it got left there?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 6, 2014 21:11:58 GMT -5
Thanks for posting those, Don. Talk about how rocks were manipulated before electricity! The ones that knew their stuff got to eat and survive. Thanks, radio, glad you liked it. This tool was obviously formed from material found right there. I've got a very similar looking chunk that could be from the very same rock. I wonder why it got left there? They were so good at making scrapers that it was easier to make a new one at the next stop than carry an old one if they knew there was working material where they were going. They also stashed things like that in different places so they would have tools ready when they arrived. There is a word for it but I can not spell it close enough for spell checker to figure it out. A friend of my son's found a large one of them (on private land of course) and he has some almost priceless perfect tools. Jim |
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Post by radio on Feb 6, 2014 21:16:41 GMT -5
Thanks, radio, glad you liked it. This tool was obviously formed from material found right there. I've got a very similar looking chunk that could be from the very same rock. I wonder why it got left there? That's part of the intrigue with artifacts is running through different scenarios of how or why they got lost or left behind. It wasn't difficult to make new ones due to an abundance of raw materials at many spots, but some were likely prized possessions made from material not available in the immediate area, so was likely traded for, or the product of a very long journey. Mine was from local material, but a lot more work went into it than most scrapers and it showed pride in craftsmanship. I've not seen many with a thumb groove and it was obviously made to be as comfortable as possible in the hand. It has been used quite heavily and was likely abandoned and washed down the creek   |
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Post by rockpickerforever on Feb 6, 2014 21:35:02 GMT -5
Thanks for your comment, Jim. Did you figure out the word you wanted to use? Sounds like....?
Very nice, radio, thanks for adding that. At our rock club, they had someone come and speak on stone tools, especially ones made with obsidian. There are only a handful of locations in this area where it is available, and so researchers/archeologists are actually able to ascertain where a particular chunk of obsidian came from. Finished tools can be found many miles from the obsidian source, which proves that good material was valued, and carried along from place to place.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Feb 7, 2014 6:15:30 GMT -5
These are not tools, mostly points, but the reason i posted this again was to show the diversity of materials. Very rare for my area. A golf course was being built in Peachtree City, Georgia. A friend living there told me his son found an arrowhead and suggested I check it out. These were found on a one acre peninsula sticking out into about a 300 acre swamp dammed by beavers and drained and cleared by heavy equipment. It was the most variety of materials i have ever found in one camp. The peninsula was covered with dredgings as they made a lake out of the giant beaver pond covering up one of the most diverse camps of the territory. I rescued a few artifacts. These were the better ones aside from a dozen really nice pieces. And many more that were crudementary. The white quartz is local. All colors are flints and cherts from 100 to 300 miles away(plus materials of unknown source). I may donate these to the city one day if they have a museum/collection spot.  One of the best from this site  |
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 7, 2014 11:22:52 GMT -5
Yuppers a scraper.........Nice find Jean!
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Post by pghram on Feb 7, 2014 12:56:18 GMT -5
Nice find.
Rich
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grayfingers
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Post by grayfingers on Feb 7, 2014 14:09:25 GMT -5
Nice artifacts, all! Great to get to see all of these.
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mjflinty
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
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Post by mjflinty on Feb 7, 2014 16:07:16 GMT -5
The initial piece posted is indeed an artifact, I'm an archaeologist and my day job is stone tool analysis. The first picture shows the flake has a striking platform (where the blow from a hammerstone or billet struck the core) in the top left. The edges have some sort of modification but, it is hard to say what it was used on (probably lots of tasks) before it was discarded.
Those are awesome points James! Lots of Allendale, Rhyolite, Ridge & Valley, and Quartz. They all appear to be Early to Middle Archaic (8000-5000 B.C.) in age too.
Cheers,
Michael
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Post by rockpickerforever on Feb 7, 2014 17:36:41 GMT -5
Thanks, Mike, Rich and Bill. I wonder how I am lucky enough to find these things? I will continue to share my finds with you!
Michael the Archaeologist, thank you for the information! With the input of the other respondents, I was believing it was an artifact, but your post certainly dispels any doubt I had about its authenticity.
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