Edgework Possibilities?

autographcollector11 · Nov 4, 2014

Please look at the edgework on this piece. Does it show signs of edgework? if so-what could it be used for? could it be natural weathering?
Honest opinions-thanks

autographcollector11 · Nov 4, 2014

here are a few more images......

rock · Nov 4, 2014

Looks like a flake type of tool to me. Probably a scraper has some nice color to it.

Treasure_Hunter · Nov 4, 2014

Need picture of flat side, not seeing anything yet to say artifact....

quito · Nov 7, 2014

Looks like a nice uni-face scraper to me.

rock · Nov 7, 2014

Not all flake tools are more than a chunk knocked off then some edge work put on them for a quick clean for the kill. The items they made with all of the flaking on them were the tools they planned on using over and over.

quito · Nov 7, 2014

rock said:
Not all flake tools are more than a chunk knocked off then some edge work put on them for a quick clean for the kill. The items they made with all of the flaking on them were the tools they planned on using over and over.

Amazing.

Edgework on flake tools, and on just about every other tool is simply just re-sharpening the edge.

GatorBoy · Nov 8, 2014

With that line of thinking almost every tool would have started out with zero edge work that's simply incorrect

Treasure_Hunter · Nov 8, 2014

rock said:
Not all flake tools are more than a chunk knocked off then some edge work put on them for a quick clean for the kill. The items they made with all of the flaking on them were the tools they planned on using over and over.

What your describing here is 99.9% of the time just mother nature's natural work...

We do a disservice to new hunters when we encourage them to collect natural rock because there is less than a 1% chance man may have touched it once in ancient times.

autographcollector11 · Nov 8, 2014

So-would the edge work on this piece be man made or courtesy of nature?

monsterrack · Nov 8, 2014

It is hard to tell if natural or man made without seeing the other side of this piece, like T hunter said. After reading this post the other day, a piece of gravel in a drive way at a oil plant caught my eye and made me think of this post. Edge chipping can come from a lot of actions, natural and man made. This piece if found in the right setting of camp sites or any other artifact type site, would be thought of as man chipped edge work, but it was made by trucks running over it for Lord knows how long. Another give away is that the chipping on the edge is to straight down and not more at a angle.

The best flake tool and this is JMO is the first edge that comes off when the flake is struck, it is razor sharp at this point. I have skinned and 1/4 a whitetail deer with such a flake and it was still sharp enough to cut you after all that work. This just a thought but why sharpen an edge when you could just make a new flake unless you did not have anymore stone handy, because it is a lot faster to knock off a flake than put a edge on one, just a thought.

autographcollector11 · Nov 8, 2014

Thanks Monster Track, etc-
Based on your response-I have a follow up question. take a look at the attached piece. this was found in the woods-specifically on a trail used for walking.it was just below the surface. I have founds a few nice tools in the area-but could this be from simple wear and tear?

It is clearly unifaced-but the surface looks clearly modified.
Thoughts?

monsterrack · Nov 8, 2014

From what I can see, there is evidence of other flakes taken off of this piece and the edge work could be from being walked on because the edge chipping is almost straight down or it could have been made that way. I for sure see were man altered this piece JMO.

autographcollector11 · Nov 8, 2014

the responses intrigue me. one more review requested. Same scenario-found in the woods along a trail. One sided is "worked"

NA's did live in the area until 1836.

Looks pretty legitimate to me. Any signs that this could be due to wear/tear and not intentional flaking?

note that one side is unifaced with slight ripples-hard to see in the image....

monsterrack · Nov 8, 2014

This piece looks more like pressure flaking, see how it goes back on the stone at a smaller angle, JMO it has been worked and what it was used for would be anyone's guess.