13 1/2 pound 3/4 groove

[quito]

This piece weighs right inat 13 1/2 pounds, It has no use wear on either of the the business ends so I suspect it wasn't used as a maul. I am inclined to think it may have been used to break ice as it was found right above the river where legend has it the natives used to bath and swim. Not only that, but we all know that water was needed in the winter months when the river is iced over.

It is hard for me to believe something this big and nice was made as a maul and not used as one..

 

[badandy]

I definitely can't say your wrong, Joel! In fact I think your right, and with it being as heavy as it is, I would guess that it wouldn't take too many swings to get through the ice either. Thanks for posting a close up of it. Talk to you later bud!

badandy

 

[Flintfinder of Mo.]

The pic does not due it justice at all. It is one of the finest, I have ever seen and held. Joel I bet you anything that was used to break ice. John

 

[seger98]

Now that's a whacker! Could bust through a foot of ice.... Thanks for posting it!

 

[quito]

I'll get some pics of the business end for you all to look over too, I've been meaning to do that for a while now and with the sub-zero weather upon us for the next few days, it would be a good time to get it done.

 

[GL]

Centered between two poles and used by two men?

 

[SoIll]

Wouldn't ice leave use wear too?

 

[quito]

I doubt ice would cause use wear as much as the materials a maul was regularly used on would. I have several mauls, and none lack the wear this does. And knowing that this river doesn't freeze to anywhere near the thickness our lakes do, it wouldn't require a lot of pounding to break through the ice.

But one thing I do know, is, nobody knows for certain what this was used for due to lack of wear.

 

[ShowmeMoflint]

It was to my understanding that they would halved them to tree bend the tree all the way down to the ground and let it fly breaking the ice rather than swinging something of that weight and size.

 

[quito]

I've never heard that before Dan, but who knows.

We swing twelve pound sledge hammers every now and then at work, so I don't know if thirteen pounds would have been that hard to swing, heck, I think we even had a a sixteen pound sledge at one time years ago.

 

[ShowmeMoflint]

I've never heard that before Dan, but who knows.

We swing twelve pound sledge hammers every now and then at work, so I don't know if thirteen pounds would have been that hard to swing, heck, I think we even had a a sixteen pound sledge at one time years ago.

This was from a book that a friend had. I read this article it made me wonder if the ice was so thick that they would of been swinging away for hours and hours. Maybe they figured that if the tree could of cracked the ice in one blow.You just never know what theories aretrue and which ones aren't.It sounded good at the time

 

[quito]

Yeah there are lots of theories about lots of things out there in artifact land. Another thing someone else told me is they thought it was something that was dropped from above when a deer or other large animal tripped a snare. This thing would supposedly drop down and break their back.

Who knows? All I KNOW is this thing is NICE!!!

Joel

 

[Carolina Points]

What a awesome artifact, great pics and love the size. Thanks for showing
Clint

 

[ShowmeMoflint]

Right on Joel It is a very nice axe glad it is in your collection

 

[Th3rty7]

that's a big ol' hammer, nice piece. i found a similiar artifact in style and weight in a cave in west virginia, this hammerstone is fully grooved and weighs in at a beefy 14 lbs 7 grams. imo these are two handed hammerstones to drive structural posts into the ground.

 

[pickaway]

Good god

 

[Adena_man]

Incredible! Somebody would have to carry me out of the field if I found one that big!