Is this a (Atlatl)

[Brian C.]

I found this stone item today while detecting, it is about 2" long, 1/4 " dia. The web site I found this similar item says they are quite rare, it is either stone or slate. The site me mentions that these items where used before the bow and arrow. Any ideas, thanks.

 

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[Brian C.]

When I first found it, I thought it could be a pencil lead, but when I tried to make a mark on a peace of white paper, no marks that should have been there if a pencil lead. As far as I know it is stone or slate.

 

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[wells]

They were not used to write on paper but on a slate blackboard or slate tablet. Just look it up on the internet. Saw a lot of pics. posted here but no matches.

 

[Brian C.]

They were not used to write on paper but on a slate blackboard or slate tablet. Just look it up on the internet. Saw a lot of pics. posted here but no matches.

Brian,

The item in your top photo is an iron or steel axe head that is normally called a pipe tomahawk and will date probably to the late eighteenth to mid nineteenth centuries.

The second items does appear to be a plummet. No one is completely sure of just what these items were used for but most guesses today are that they were some type of ceremonial charm. They can date from the Late Archaic Period (ca 3,000 BC) to the Historic Period (ca AD 1500).

The last photo appears to be a celt or ungrooved axe. If the large end is sharpened, it is a celt but I cannot tell in the photos. Date would be ca 1000 BC to maybe AD 1500.

I hope I have been of some help. Thanks for sending the photos.

Jim

 

[tchaire]

Hi Brian...I hope you didn't take offense to my earlier post. Just wanted to let you(and others) know there are other possibilities to what this item may be. I'm posting a couple of pics of slate pencils....Looks like the groove at the top would sometimes be used to attach a string. Also, here's a discussion about a similar item posted on treasurenet a while back. Hope this helps.
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/a...ian-fishing-spear-point-need-help-please.html

 

[Jonzer]

It is a writing device. I have one similar. I'll try to find it and post a pic.
I posted a pic of mine a couple of years ago and it was determined by the experts on this board that it is a writing device.

 

[Brian C.]

No problem, I know it is hard to see the artifacts for what they are. I enjoy the chase and conversation on all items we find. I remember a coin I posted several months back, the date on the coin was hard to figure, you look at it one way it looks like a different date. This is what makes this hobby so great, gotta love it.

 

[tomclark]

Was this item found on a prehistoric "site", where you'd expect to find indian artifacts, or was it found in an area where one would expect a slate pencil

 

[11KBP]

Hi Brian...I hope you didn't take offense to my earlier post. Just wanted to let you(and others) know there are other possibilities to what this item may be. I'm posting a couple of pics of slate pencils....Looks like the groove at the top would sometimes be used to attach a string. Also, here's a discussion about a similar item posted on treasurenet a while back. Hope this helps.

View attachment 623828

Good information tchaire and nice pictures for a reference.

11KBP