Sorting old rocks...

[ShieldJaguar]

Ok. I moved a couple weeks ago and am cleaning out my storage unit. When I first started hunting arrowheads I was picking up all kinds of crap, lol. I would go out for 4 hours and come back with a backpack full of rocks. I had no idea what patina was and had no concept of flaking or grinding, lol. I just picked up anything and everything and put them into buckets to sort later when I learned more. I have so many buckets of rocks to go through it's unreal. Probably 30-40 5 gallon buckets. So, I started going through them tonight. Now, the buckets from the first year I'm probably not even going to sort but throw in my parents ditch they want to fill. I just know that I picked up crap for a good year, lol. However, the buckets I am going through now have lots of good stuff in them.


So, I wanted to ask a question/take a poll - What do you think is the most common artifact that I overlooked and put in the buckets of rocks? (take from your own experience and what took you the longest to pick up as an artifact)


I'll post the answer tomorrow night.

Shield

 

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[archer66]

My guess would be small flake tools...nice little pieces of flint showing minimal signs of knapping, maybe used only briefly then discarded.

 

[Treefrog]

turtle back scrappers? big scrappers


these!!!

 

[ohioaxeman]

cores?

 

[Tnmountains]

Brokes turned into scrapers is my guess ......

 

[tmodel]

Shield!! wish i lived close enough to come there and try to talk you into throwing those first year buckets in the back of my pickup. you might be shocked to see what you left the first year at least sort [1/2] the first bucket before you dump them if you know witch one is the first.. i have been going through my rock buckets this winter and number [1] is the spoke shave , flake tools never got picked up until about five years ago.. scrappers i spotted early and have a lot love those unitface and hafted scrappers. cores i though were choppers or axes so they were keep in a special bucket. i did not see a true axe for the first [25] years i collected.. and have been looking for one.. ever sense.. Terry

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Probably Hafted Scrapers since most new hunters think they are broken Points. If not that then maybe Hammerstones.

 

[Lone Star]

Sheild, Thats one of my favorite things to do. I just finished going thru numerous buckets from different adventures around west Texas from years ago and I found all kinds of stuff I didn't even know I had. Mostly choppers and fleshing tools, but I got a mess of them. Once in a while a little diddy like this busted corner tang. Makes you wonder how big that blade was. Thanks, looking forward to see them. Lone Star

 

[Cachefind09]

The knife bladelets. I always thought they were a waste product as a result of the flaking process. I never kept them until I saw others collecting them and then noticed that some of them would occasionally have micro flaking on them.

 

[olroy70]

I have bunches of em.

 

[ShieldJaguar]

Sorry I didn't get to post last night. Was very busy. I'm headed out for work so I'll post the answer with some pics when I get home tonight.

Shield

 

[ShieldJaguar]

Ok. I suck. My wife was making me unpack our house so I couldn't get away to post. However, she left for the weekend, so here you go. The answer is.....


Scrapers. The overwhelming number of scrapers was crazy. I knew they had to be something when I picked them up, I just had no clue what. I even put them in separate bags inside the buckets. I think I thought they were cores or someone was just practicing. I found a lot of pottery shards too as well as a few whole points and a bunch of brokes that some how made it into the buckets. I've only sorted a couple buckets and a couple boxes. I've probably got 40 more to go, lol.

Here's some pics of some of the stuff I've reclaimed. I only took pictures of a fraction of the items recovered. Decided taking good pics of scrapers is hard to do, lol.


Pictures number 9 and 10 I found in Lake St. Louis in a creek. The dalton is a scraper. Any idea what picture number 10 was? It's broken but man, it was a big blade. Maybe large cobbs?

Pictures 11 and 12 are of a pottery piece found in my favorite creek here in Jackson County, MO. Any ideas what it was?

 

[Lone Star]

Man there ya go. Thats a bunch of cool stuff. I can't tell how much of that I've done, and from every dig I've ever been on and from every place I go. I'm almost 60 and my wife still won't put her hand in my pockets when the clothes are off to the wash.
I'd be further willing to bet that the resultant camprock collection you and I have contain similiar pieces , with the same manner of usage and wear before disposal or loss. Thanks Lone Star

 

[tmodel]

Shield!! i may be way off target, but photos [11 and 12] your pottery piece looks like it might be a water jug stopper maybe using a piece of rawhide tide around neck and then up and over stopper, looked like low place in top of stopper if one on other side there is where rawhide went.. shield did i get close or did i hit that saber tooth way over in left field Terry

 

[ShieldJaguar]

It's a possibility. I was thinking pot leg or something that you set the pot on in the kiln during firing. No real clear idea, but yours is just as good as anything else I've come up with!

Thanks!

 

[bytheriver]

I live in Kansas City, you can throw your first buckets in my yard today!

I have found several artifacts in Warsaw Mo. while out seraching for Indian Trail Trees.

River

 

[Krisrock]

Whole cool tools I keep in a display case. Cool broken tools go in the Rock garden out front. After all, even the finest arrowhead is a broke rock. I keep the blades and points and drill pieces separate from the scrapers, choppers and sex stones. (fewer buckets to tote) I have almost the same amount of brokes for both types. but the blade, point and drill buckets are smaller and lighter. It was tough to throw that first bucket out in the yard Kids love em