Local arrowhead collecting trip Sunday 2/27/22
Mar 1, 2022 9:44:04 GMT -5
catskillrocks, aDave, and 3 more like this
Post by jamesp on Mar 1, 2022 9:44:04 GMT -5
Arrowhead hunting 101.
Hopped in vehicle at 11am and did about a 100 mile loop in rural Georgia looking for 1 to 2 year old timbered properties last Sunday.
Found 3 clearings but only one of them was not posted or gated and appeared frequented by the local recreational 4wd bunch.
I scored ok on this location. Need to return with wife or buddy. It is over 200 acres and will take a few days to walk key camp spots.
Using google earth and cell phone this view told the situation of the 200 acres. Note date slider in upper right, clearing was done before 12/2019 so plenty of time for rain to expose artifacts.
This one was a no brainer. 4 ridges pointing north with 3 dividing springs(tree lines)flowing into a large Centralhatchee Creek flowing left to right in at top of sat image.
The only collecting areas are the crude logging trails where the vegetation is removed. A small percentage of the surface area.
[If I had the means and free time I would ask the land owner for a lease to allow plowing the flat areas where the artifact density was high. This site would be an artifact goldmine]
Photo is almost a mile wide. A photo copy of this will be taken on the return trip. And a small electric motorcycle to cover ground.
Findings on 3 of the 4 ridges in a quick 2 hour walk. Need about 8-20 more hours to cover the rest. Hopefully 24 yr old nephew will assist. Someone had picked this site over a good while back, there were little piles of chips laying around partially covered with eroded soil. They got the easy findings(dang it).
The lithic materials are poor around Atlanta. All quartz and quartzite. I have to travel 100 miles to find points made of better materials. The quartzite chips/broken points in the paper plate is colorful and fine grained and can be fashioned into exceptional points. It can be gem quality with mica sparklers in it. The black material is flint and was imported from 100 miles to the northwest. Little coastal plain chert was found, it is nice material from 80 miles south of this site. The large pieces are hand tools and scrapers so there was camping areas and/or butchering zones.
No hot points, just crude day to day-use specimens
Look close at small findings. Thumb scrapers(white quartz) and micro-scrapers/knives can be your best finds. Notice 2 of them are made of imported black flint. Flint holds a very sharp edge.
Next trip may yield a mother load of trophy points, never know. Maybe the chief's quarters will yield a large ceremonial point. This appears to be a late Archaic era site say 3 to 4 thousand years old and long before Cherokee/Creek/Seminole groups were formed. This would be more primitive peoples. Not sure I would approach them back when, we might be viewed as tasty morsels.
If anyone knows of a satellite imagery internet site with newer (say 6 to 12 month old)imagery please share. This would save a lot of driving and searching time.
Thanks for looking in.
ETA - chips, the key to finding artifacts(excepting riverine finds):
Finding numerous super thin chips are the key to finding a viable collection spot. No chips, no artifacts +95% of the time.
Keep in mind that very few natural forces can produce high speed flakes of hard rock. It is about guaranteed that a human produced them. Said chips are artifacts in themselves.
Not only do high speed flakes signify Native man's presence but they tell 2 other important points:
1) Was the guy a lapidarian ? Did he he have good tastes in beautiful materials ? Got to remember these guys did not do desk time. They were outside 24/7. Lot's of time spent rock hunting. And they may have 50 generations of hot spot material locations passed down from great great great...................grandads. Too many times chips made out of to-die-for materials are found. And likely found within a short distance of where you found the chips. Even in a giant man made reservoir that has been drained to a low level where all vegetation is removed you will still not find their elusive sources for beautiful rock.
2) Chips reveal imported material. Many times rock material will come from 3 to 4 states away. Texas chert in Georgia for instance. In Atlanta, Rome GA black chert and middle Georgia coastal plain chert is commonly found. Both sources are 100 miles away. Typically the source upstream is the most commonly found import. Rock is heavy so they barged it downstream. These people also had 100+ IQ's, they were far from stupid. Rest assured they were highly skilled like being masters at sneaking up and killing animals with seriously keen senses. In the late 1700's British explorer W. Bartram observed a child shooting a rabbit in the eye with a tiny 24 inch bow at 15 paces.
Hopped in vehicle at 11am and did about a 100 mile loop in rural Georgia looking for 1 to 2 year old timbered properties last Sunday.
Found 3 clearings but only one of them was not posted or gated and appeared frequented by the local recreational 4wd bunch.
I scored ok on this location. Need to return with wife or buddy. It is over 200 acres and will take a few days to walk key camp spots.
Using google earth and cell phone this view told the situation of the 200 acres. Note date slider in upper right, clearing was done before 12/2019 so plenty of time for rain to expose artifacts.
This one was a no brainer. 4 ridges pointing north with 3 dividing springs(tree lines)flowing into a large Centralhatchee Creek flowing left to right in at top of sat image.
The only collecting areas are the crude logging trails where the vegetation is removed. A small percentage of the surface area.
[If I had the means and free time I would ask the land owner for a lease to allow plowing the flat areas where the artifact density was high. This site would be an artifact goldmine]
Photo is almost a mile wide. A photo copy of this will be taken on the return trip. And a small electric motorcycle to cover ground.
Findings on 3 of the 4 ridges in a quick 2 hour walk. Need about 8-20 more hours to cover the rest. Hopefully 24 yr old nephew will assist. Someone had picked this site over a good while back, there were little piles of chips laying around partially covered with eroded soil. They got the easy findings(dang it).
The lithic materials are poor around Atlanta. All quartz and quartzite. I have to travel 100 miles to find points made of better materials. The quartzite chips/broken points in the paper plate is colorful and fine grained and can be fashioned into exceptional points. It can be gem quality with mica sparklers in it. The black material is flint and was imported from 100 miles to the northwest. Little coastal plain chert was found, it is nice material from 80 miles south of this site. The large pieces are hand tools and scrapers so there was camping areas and/or butchering zones.
No hot points, just crude day to day-use specimens
Look close at small findings. Thumb scrapers(white quartz) and micro-scrapers/knives can be your best finds. Notice 2 of them are made of imported black flint. Flint holds a very sharp edge.
Next trip may yield a mother load of trophy points, never know. Maybe the chief's quarters will yield a large ceremonial point. This appears to be a late Archaic era site say 3 to 4 thousand years old and long before Cherokee/Creek/Seminole groups were formed. This would be more primitive peoples. Not sure I would approach them back when, we might be viewed as tasty morsels.
If anyone knows of a satellite imagery internet site with newer (say 6 to 12 month old)imagery please share. This would save a lot of driving and searching time.
Thanks for looking in.
ETA - chips, the key to finding artifacts(excepting riverine finds):
Finding numerous super thin chips are the key to finding a viable collection spot. No chips, no artifacts +95% of the time.
Keep in mind that very few natural forces can produce high speed flakes of hard rock. It is about guaranteed that a human produced them. Said chips are artifacts in themselves.
Not only do high speed flakes signify Native man's presence but they tell 2 other important points:
1) Was the guy a lapidarian ? Did he he have good tastes in beautiful materials ? Got to remember these guys did not do desk time. They were outside 24/7. Lot's of time spent rock hunting. And they may have 50 generations of hot spot material locations passed down from great great great...................grandads. Too many times chips made out of to-die-for materials are found. And likely found within a short distance of where you found the chips. Even in a giant man made reservoir that has been drained to a low level where all vegetation is removed you will still not find their elusive sources for beautiful rock.
2) Chips reveal imported material. Many times rock material will come from 3 to 4 states away. Texas chert in Georgia for instance. In Atlanta, Rome GA black chert and middle Georgia coastal plain chert is commonly found. Both sources are 100 miles away. Typically the source upstream is the most commonly found import. Rock is heavy so they barged it downstream. These people also had 100+ IQ's, they were far from stupid. Rest assured they were highly skilled like being masters at sneaking up and killing animals with seriously keen senses. In the late 1700's British explorer W. Bartram observed a child shooting a rabbit in the eye with a tiny 24 inch bow at 15 paces.