Archaic Copper point

[Glenn C]

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[Jeff H]

Nice find! With my very limited knowledge I would have guessed it was a trade point if I had found it down my neck of the woods but that is cool you found a much older piece. It is a beauty!

 

[CRUSADER]

Nice find! With my very limited knowledge I would have guessed it was a trade point if I had found it down my neck of the woods but that is cool you found a much older piece. It is a beauty!

I thought similar, not my area, but looks cut from a larger sheet & not cast. Still a great find which ever it is.

 

[Glenn C]

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[CRUSADER]

I found several archaic pieces in the area. Also have found my fair share of kettle metal. I found a archaic awl in the area which was perfect made. Im guessing this is the same guy who made this piece. The copper was ground down on rocks to give it shape. Notice the difference in thickness of the copper. I put a piece of kettle metal to see the difference thickness. It is also irregular in thickness though out which from cold hammering it. Not trying to pass it off as archaic, it would be just as cool furtrade. Found 40 pieces archiac so have a good sense of it.

Here is a bead i found in the area as well.

I'm not suggesting it was kettle metal, just that in my experience of ancient artefacts it doesn't show signs of casting. I'm not sure how to date it, but it shows signs of being cut.

 

[pepperj]

Great looking copper point Glenn, having dug that many Archiac pieces I'd say you have a pretty good idea of what's what. WTG on the bead also, is it copper or glass?

 

[CRUSADER]

Great looking copper point Glenn, having dug that many Archiac pieces I'd say you have a pretty good idea of what's what. WTG on the bead also, is it copper or glass?

So, when do these 'archiac' pieces date to & please explain the manufacture process? I want to learn.

 

[pepperj]

Early Archaic:
[Note: some researchers place the Hi-Lo Horizon here as Early Archaic rather than as Late Palaeo of the preceding period]
Side-Notched Horizon, 10000-9700 B.P. (8000-7700 B.C.)
Corner-Notched Horizon, 9700-8900 B.P. (7700-6900 B.C.)
Bifurcate Horizon, 8900-8000 B.P. (6900-6000 B.C.)

· Middle Archaic:
Middle Archaic I/Stemmed Horizon, 8000-5500 B.P. (6000-3500 B.C.)
Middle Archaic II, 5500-4500 B.P. (3500-2500 B.C.)

· Late Archaic (also known as Terminal Archaic):
Narrow Point Horizon, 4500-3500 B.P. (2500-1500 B.C.)
Broad Point Horizon, 4000-3500 B.P. (2000-1500 B.C.)
Small Point Horizon (including the Haldimand Complex and Glacial Kame Complex), 3500-2800 B.P. (1500-800 B.C.)

 

[Glenn C]

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[CRUSADER]

Early Archaic:
[Note: some researchers place the Hi-Lo Horizon here as Early Archaic rather than as Late Palaeo of the preceding period]
Side-Notched Horizon, 10000-9700 B.P. (8000-7700 B.C.)
Corner-Notched Horizon, 9700-8900 B.P. (7700-6900 B.C.)
Bifurcate Horizon, 8900-8000 B.P. (6900-6000 B.C.)

·Middle Archaic:
Middle Archaic I/Stemmed Horizon, 8000-5500 B.P. (6000-3500 B.C.)
Middle Archaic II, 5500-4500 B.P. (3500-2500 B.C.)

·Late Archaic (also known as Terminal Archaic):
Narrow Point Horizon, 4500-3500 B.P. (2500-1500 B.C.)
Broad Point Horizon, 4000-3500 B.P. (2000-1500 B.C.)
Small Point Horizon (including the Haldimand Complex and Glacial Kame Complex), 3500-2800 B.P. (1500-800 B.C.)

Explains the periods but doesn't narrow a date much?

Also doesn't answer how they made it during any of those very broad periods?

 

[Glenn C]

,,,

 

[CRUSADER]

Glenn,
Not mocking or knocking your find. I just like to understand, what you have learnt about the manufacture of this piece which surely narrows the date of production?

Are you stating its cast, for example?

PS. Posts crossed, I will look at picture.

 

[Glenn C]

,,,

 

[CRUSADER]

Here a few more examples of what you find. Float copper etc.
I believe most was cold hammered. A few good sites with information ill have to look up.

I think what your saying, is they took natural copper & hammered it out without heat? I'm signing off soon, but look forward to your research. Because,if not cast they had an unusual way that I can't get my head around & would like to learn.

 

[CRUSADER]

They would cold hammer the pieces. These would date to about 6000 years ago when they lived in this area as the glaciers receeded. They would take a chuck of float(raw) copper like the one in the picture, and pound it with stones to shape it.

OK, in which case, the natural material must have been a bigger enough chunk to flatten out to that arrowhead size, because joining other small pieces together would weaken it? Assuming thats the case, they still must have cut to shape? Correct or something else?

PS. it shows no hammer marks either? How did they get the smooth surface?

 

[Glenn C]

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[Glenn C]

http://copperculture.homestead.com/

 

[Jeff H]

Glen, to be clear, I also am not doubting the age of that artifact. Just saying with my ignorance on the subject, just based on its it shape, I might have mistaken it for a trade piece instead of the awesome archaic piece that it is!

 

[Helix]

Old Copper Complex is a term used for ancient Native North American societies known to have been heavily involved in the utilization of copper for weaponry and tools. It is to be distinguished from the Copper Age (Chalcolithic era), when copper use becomes systematic because of the emergence of smelting techniques, which never developed in pre-Columbia North America.

The Old Copper Complex of the Western Great Lakes is the best known of these. Great Lakes natives of the Archaic tradition located 99% pure copper in the area of Lake Superior, both in veins and nuggets in gravel beds. Major quarries were located on Isle Royale, the Keweenaw Peninsula, and the Brule River, and copper was deposited elsewhere by glaciation as well.[SUP][2][/SUP] Eventually they learned to hammer the copper and produce a variety of spearpoints, tools and decorative objects. In addition to practical use, the Copper Complex peoples traded copper goods to obtain other exotic materials.

The Copper Complex can be dated as far back as 6,000 years. By about 3,000 years ago the use of copper is increasingly restricted to jewelry and other status-related items, rather than for tools. This is thought to represent the development of more complex hierarchical cultures in the area.[SUP][3][/SUP][SUP][4][/SUP][SUP][5][/SUP]
The Copper Culture State Park, in Oconto, northeastern Wisconsin contains an ancient burial ground used by the Old Copper Complex Culture of early Native Americans, here between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago. It was rediscovered in June 1952 by a 13-year-old boy who unearthed human bones while playing in an old quarry. By July the first archaeological dig had commenced, as part of the program of the Wisconsin Archaeological Survey. - This is quoted from Wikipedia

 

[Glenn C]

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