What the heck is this thing????

PinchedDreamer

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Feb 11, 2017
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Clark County Nevada
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So I'm finding lots of points and tools, and most are fairly easy to identify, but this thing here is a mystery to me. Any ideas? IMG_20201130_163601542.jpg IMG_20201130_163622950.jpg IMG_20201130_163619032.jpg
 

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antmike915

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Apr 20, 2020
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#1 looks like sandstone - natural. #2 looks natural but shaped like a artifact. I don't see any man made modifications to classify it being a artifact.
 

unclemac

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Oct 12, 2011
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Egyptian hieroglyph letter "i"
 

bowwinkles

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Nov 3, 2012
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I have a wash. dc friend that has the domestic chores in one of the busy buildings. He sent me a picture off his phone that very much resembled that item. He found it because it did not flush after Palosi used the bathroom.:camera:
 

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PinchedDreamer

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Feb 11, 2017
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Clark County Nevada
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All Treasure Hunting
IMG_20201123_182219508.jpg
That's a handful of them. I will pull out some of the better examples and get more detailed photos. Without naming any names (at this time), I've had three different people confirm tool marks on a good number of items that I had previously thought were related to a separate project I've been collecting specimens/data for the past five years. 14lbs of samples for the aforementioned project were sent to a gentleman in Germany for thin slice preparation and analyses. He is a professor at a university there and holds PHD's in both Geology and Geophysics. His first email to me following his initial examination informed me that one of the pieces I was specifically curious about was completely unrelated to the current project, and was actually a "Stone Age Artifact" that was covered in obvious tool marks. Then in October, I met with another gentleman from California to submit additional samples to be analyzed using an XRF gun. As we picked through one pile of material, he set aside roughly 1 in every 5 pieces because of the presence of tool marks. After a short lesson on identifying different types of man made markings, I began going through container after container of collected material. The overwhelming majority of points I find appear to have either been broken while in use, or more commonly, split in half during fabrication. I have yet to find any perfect, quintessential "arrowheads," but I have found a handful of points that are close enough to convince my toughest skeptic, my dad. Lol
Anyhow, I've got to go get showered and ready for a bonfire and some drinks. I'll add some close up, detailed pics sometime tomorrow, or early Monday. Hope everyone had a great Christmas. J
 

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PinchedDreamer

Full Member
Feb 11, 2017
114
111
Clark County Nevada
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This thing here was very obviously crafted. It appears to be made of some sort of clay/ceramic material. It's very symmetrical, and shares a common shape with many items that I have found included with cached toolkits scattered around the area. These items are found in various sizes and materials. Both ends beautifully tapered. Not entirely sure, but I think it's some sort of flaking tool....�� IMG_20201226_231629912.jpg IMG_20201226_231625998.jpg IMG_20201226_231739845.jpg
 

unclemac

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Oct 12, 2011
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most of those are not points, a few may be. If you are hunting in NV as I suspect, then your lithic material is all wrong. I have hunted for decades in Nevada and good lithics to of a great variety are abundant. Your chips appear to be natural flakes of inferior rock. Especially obvious are the triangle ones with the angle break along the edges, this is a natural fracture angle that is present for this specific mineral.

It could be that your pix are so out of focus that they do not show the right color an detail but I doubt it.

you will have to show us the specific items that your experts handled otherwise I see a whole lot of nothing.
 

uniface

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Jun 4, 2009
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This thing here was very obviously crafted. It appears to be made of some sort of clay/ceramic material. It's very symmetrical, and shares a common shape with many items that I have found included with cached toolkits scattered around the area. These items are found in various sizes and materials. Both ends beautifully tapered. Not entirely sure, but I think it's some sort of flaking tool....�� View attachment 1888763 View attachment 1888764 View attachment 1888765

Look closely for use wear on the part you suspect was used -- grinding, rubbing, chipping, different patination, &c.
 

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