Stone hoe?

[Cillee]

Anyone ever seen something like this? I've done a good bit of searching and cannot find anything that really looks like it.....I think it may be a hoe or mattock type tool? Wide wedge at one end, pointed at the other. Even slightly bent so the center at the ends almost align with flattened bit in the middle, where might have been hafted.

 

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[The Grim Reaper]

Looks like a natural creek or river stone to me. Not a Hoe and not an artifact.

 

[monsterrack]

Welcome to Tnet and I'm thinking it is just a natural shape that mother nature made.HH

 

[rock]

No on the hoe, yes on the stone. Welcome to the site

 

[Cillee]

Interesting, all definitive "No's" to it even being an artifact...I'll explain why I think it's some sort of artifact...hoe or otherwise, and I'll be the first to admit the photos don't capture these very well, if at all.
-The ends of the stone, the tip of the pointed end, and the whole of the wedge shaped end have a polish that the rest of the stone doesn't have. Can kind of see this in two of the photos in the reflectivity of the wedge.
-There are small, parallel grooves and scratches on the ends, as if something small but hard has scraped around the end. These don't occur elsewhere.
-You may have noticed one side of the stone is black, the other side is the stone's natural color, with the transition on the sides. This was a mystery to me for a while but after some research found that a common feature of artifacts from around where this was found (near Delaware River) is that they show evidence of being burnt, though it's not clear why this is the case...perhaps discarded at end of useful life or easier to shape..have heard both as explanations.
- The second photo shows an area where the layers of the stone are broken/pecked away (depending on your point of view). There is a row of identical marks/pecks about 1/4 inch above this break which are similar in size and orientation, looking (to me) as if someone considered chipping away a bit more. At the ends of the 'break' are clusters of pecks. There are similar marks on the other side where layers of stone are removed to give the shape you see from the 'side' view. The break itself looks like it's chipped away in little bits, not a clean crack.

Anyone wavering in their position Haha...In any case, I suppose the answer to my original question and interest...if anyone has seen something similar...is still a resounding 'no'. One weathered old archaeologist I showed this to told me he's seen something like this before but suggested they are so crude in appearance that they are largely ignored in the archaeology/artifact world.

anyway,thanks, interesting forum!

 

[NC field hunter]

Reminds me of this piece I found. I have a book that is about the site this piece was found on. The book calls it an adze.















I understand the natural call on these pieces.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

When i was hunting creeks, streams and rivers in Mo I must have found thousands of river stones that look like that.. I could imagine many uses but in the end they were still just rocks, that or Indians threw thousands of artifacts in the water..........I also agree natural stone.

 

[Cillee]

Yeah, I suppose that misses the point a bit...I grew up around (and often in) rivers and streams and have also seen thousands of river rocks that look like this, not much of an argument for or against it being an artifact to be honest. But I kept this one because it wasn't like the thousand other ones. Overall shape isn't unique....didn't pick it up because the shape reminded me of a tool...but the markings and modifications on it are unlike the stones lying around it. The pecks, polished ends, too perfectly shaped wedge on the end, and black color made it different. Long way of saying the thing making everyone say 'no artifact' (looks like other rocks) is not the thing that makes me think it is an artifact....hopefully that makes sense without sounding too argumentative!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Not coming off argumentative to me. I am going off what I can see in the pictures, just wasn't any signs of man's hands...

 

[YesterYearArtifacts]

I'm new here but not new to artifact hunting and I want to be a part of this group and member on this site, with that being said and with all respect intended, My Opinion is that They are all artifact's and the reason being is that I have many of the same tools and can locate them over and over because they were made and used by ancient people's and there are approx. 7 tools to every single arrowhead and or weapon and these tools are abundant to the experienced hunter.

 

[YesterYearArtifacts]

It is precisely an adz blade used to hollow out tree trunks for canoe's and tilling soil.

 

[YesterYearArtifacts]

Alot of those river rocks have artifactsd inside them, I have gotten arrowheads out of triangle shaped river rocks where the arrowhead was six times smaller than the origional rock because the sediment was so thick and dense and smooth and pretty. The river rocks that tink like crystal are the best bet to spend the time on to remove the sediment. Just break one in half and you will destroy and artifact but you will see there are generally rocks of other material concealed inside those common river rocks. However there are plenty of dense hard packed rocks that are just plain sediment and nothing more. Yet there are enough of the one's that have a sweet treasure inside them for me to deal with them and the effort it takes to reveal them. I have had plenty of river rocks resembling hammers stones and had them chipped deeply to where others thought no way is that any good anymore and I have removed the sediment and that bad chip never reached the actuak artifact hidden inside. Just a head's up from someone who find's treasures where others think there are none.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

All I am seeing is natural rock with erosion.

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[YesterYearArtifacts]

Here is an artifact I found the other day it is an effigy of a goat.
The rock is flint and the horns are the flint showing through the patina and or some sort of covering they used

 

[arrow86]

Alot of those river rocks have artifactsd inside them, I have gotten arrowheads out of triangle shaped river rocks where the arrowhead was six times smaller than the origional rock because the sediment was so thick and dense and smooth and pretty. The river rocks that tink like crystal are the best bet to spend the time on to remove the sediment. Just break one in half and you will destroy and artifact but you will see there are generally rocks of other material concealed inside those common river rocks. However there are plenty of dense hard packed rocks that are just plain sediment and nothing more. Yet there are enough of the one's that have a sweet treasure inside them for me to deal with them and the effort it takes to reveal them. I have had plenty of river rocks resembling hammers stones and had them chipped deeply to where others thought no way is that any good anymore and I have removed the sediment and that bad chip never reached the actuak artifact hidden inside. Just a head's up from someone who find's treasures where others think there are none.

Say what Your saying that you have broke apart large rocks and found artifacts inside ?? Think i would have to see to believe , by artifacts do you mean stuff you think may be an artifacts ?

 

[reuellis]

Are goats indigenous to NA?

Where did you find the first piece posted and what is the material?

 

[joshuaream]

Say what Your saying that you have broke apart large rocks and found artifacts inside ?? Think i would have to see to believe , by artifacts do you mean stuff you think may be an artifacts ?

I think he is referring to the art of knapping. (At least I hope so...)

 

[quito]

I think he is referring to the art of knapping. (At least I hope so...)

Im pretty sure he's referring to a major sediment buildup that he removes to expose artifacts.

 

[arrow86]

Maybe a video of this process next time you go about it ..... Would like to check it out

 

[joshuaream]

Im pretty sure he's referring to a major sediment buildup that he removes to expose artifacts.

Wow, that is some seriously thick sediment.

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