Havent seen many like these! wondering your thoughts!

kindgrind · Mar 07, 2007, 11:54 PM

The first on I found not to long ago, still want to know the value, or if it has a common name im just not familiar with! Anyone got any Ideas? I picked it up in North Florida!

The second has also baffled me and if anyone can help please do so. Im dying to know what it is! It has a very interesting corner notched onto it almost to look like it would hold or cut string maybe a type of skinner for fish. I did find it near the river!

kindgrind

**jbl04410** · Mar 08, 2007, 05:56 AM

Hey there Kindgrind,really dont know about that first piece cant really tell from the picture.But you might be close on the other piece.Looks like a scraper or at the least an unfinished one.

**tchaire** · Mar 09, 2007, 01:30 AM

Any other artifacts found in the area? Personally they just look like rocks to me, but maybe the pictures aren't doing them justice.

T.

**Neanderthal** · Mar 09, 2007, 09:51 AM

The first one is a geofact. A naturally formed "rock". The sharp end on it occured when the tip of a larger rock fractured at the corner, forming that. It has no conchoidal fracturing marks, tool wear, etc, etc. The second one "could" be a spall, but I'm reserving judgement on it - as I also have seen natural fracturing very similar to that one. Don't get upset over my opinions...that's what you're asking for, right? Good luck on your future hunts and thanks for showing.

Atlantis0077 · Mar 09, 2007, 10:15 AM

Ditto there Matt,

The first appears natural, not manufactured. The second would pass for what I call a large chip. A piece knocked off a work in progress...these were sometimes used is blades or small scraping tools depending on how sturdy they were. If the second is indeed what I think, there should be more artifacts where it came from as it would suggest a manufacture site which could spell village or campsite. Just my opinion.

Happy Hunting,

Atlantis

**Cannonman17** · Mar 09, 2007, 06:26 PM

Ditto on the last two posts. Natural rock on the first one and maybe a flaking by-product on the second one.

**texasriverdigger** · Mar 10, 2007, 10:56 PM

I am new here and I was reading your thread.. I am adding a pic of a tool I have found here in Texas, one is brown chert and the other is a type of chert heavy patina, and has the same type of design as yours and I believe a knife of some type at one time? I hope this helps to show it isnt a geo-fact?

**Neanderthal** · Mar 11, 2007, 12:48 AM

Sorry guy, but from the pic, that looks like natural weathering to me. In pieces of flint, natural impacts can cause pseudo "flaking" on some stones...I've seen it occur time and time again. It's especially more common in any place where there has been alot of movement (streams, plowed fields, etc). Even the archaeologists get fooled often by it (for instance, check out the Walker site).

**texasriverdigger** · Mar 11, 2007, 06:04 PM

The place that I am digging is a undisturbed site on the river. It is a wet site during the late fall and winter,It is some of the hardest digging I have done due to that wet environment. I have quit a few pieces that have very heavy patina from exposure to water & erosion. The flaking that is on that piece looks to be deliberate in comparison to the few others of there type I have found in the same place? I have some other strange pieces I will be posting, I have some nice ground Jasper pieces (tools & points) that has some of the same type work as my top brown chert piece that where all found in situ together. This site and area(county's for miles)has no stone or rock supply. So any stone or rock would have had to be brought in and was highly prized. I have alot of river cobble that is not native to here,our rivers are silt laden this far down and back up the river to where it starts. I thank you for your thoughts I will post all others in my own thread to keep from Hijacking Kindgrinds thread. Sorry Kindgrind! Thanks..