A Hoe ?????

[Bent-Twig]

Hey Folks!!

In my " BOX OF ROCKS" that I just pulled out of the basement was this big ole chunk of slate. Not sure if this was a hoe , or possibly a blank for a celt or a pendant? You can clearly see all of the peck marks on it. Do you think this is a finished product for gardening or do you think unfinished? Any other intresting ideas on this ole rock? Man I need to get out of this house!!

Twig.

[joshuaream]

With that banding and thickness it could have been a really big/thick gorget or a more likely a bannerstone. I don't think they would have wasted it on a hoe (unless you live right on the huronian slate deposits.)

Nice finds!

Joshua

[SoIll]

i think the peck marks make it not a hoe.

[jeff a]

i'd go with celt preform, i had a site that was a slate workshop and found a few chipped out blanks like that and some slate celts in different stages, also found some wing banner sections

[TripleCreek]

I think this very well could have been intended as a hoe, but more likely an unfinished celt. The material is more likely banded rylite. Rylite is very common stone in my area of Maryland. Slate does not flake with a conical fracture, as this stone has. This stone has had several shaping flakes taken off. The rough textured area, is not from pecking, but rather an area of the original cortex of the stone.

My 2 cents.

3creeks

[jeff a]

slate does fracture like that ,i find it like that on slate workshop sites

[unitas]

I vote celt preform--I've found several like it