Hello, looking for assistance identifying possible clovis

[Jross]

Hello, first post, new member. I'm not so well educated on native artifacts but have been a pretty serious rockhound for 3 decades. I live in muskingum county ohio, so of course my favorite place to hunt rocks is flint ridge over in hopewell. Between the pits of nethers farm and the fields and woods of their neighbors, i know the ridge about as well as anyone I've met. Hunting artifacts up there isn't really my objective, more looking for crystal clusters and unusual pieces to carve. But i am very observant to what i see. Theres a lot of potential artifacts amd tons of debitage all over the ground. A lot of it is obviously contemporary, color patterns matching more recently dug up flint. But then the oldball sticks out once in a while. It doesn't match anything else in the area. Was either brought there or was quarried from a lonf gone layer. Thats how i found this piece. I was digging around the roots of a very large old tree, this popped out. Every thing around it was mostly white to gray flint. I apologize for the pics, tried to get the flute to look right. Its worked on both sides and is impressivly thin. Any light anyone cold shine on this, i would be very obliged.

 

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[Relicgrubber]

So a flute on one side. From the way I’m seeing it in your pictures I would lean more toward a busted up point with an impact fracture imo. Your right though better clear pictures would help including the opposing side.

 

[Jross]

Oops sorry for that

 

[quito]

Welcome to the forums! Sounds like a great place to hunt!!
Hopefully you get the assistance you need.

 

[Kray Gelder]

What I see is a lot of internal cracks and flaws, that would have eliminated it as material for a knife or point. It looks like a natural piece to me, but an experienced member will weigh in shortly.

 

[A2coins]

Welcome to tnet from MI cool finds you got there.

 

[Older The Better]

I’m not an expert on the entire Clovis tool kit but it looks like the back side hasn’t been worked all that much. If anything I’d say a utilized flake over a Clovis biface

 

[arrow86]

Hard to tell from those pics but the last pic looks like a flute running sideways or across the piece I think relicgrubber is correct with saying a busted up piece with impact fractures.

 

[old digger]

I do not believe your item is a "Clovis'' I believe it is a spalled flake from a core that had already been previously flaked. It was then worked on the one edge and used as a knife. It appears that the beginning spall allows for easy use in cutting.

 

[joshuaream]

I can see why it caught your eye. I think the comments after the new pictures are correct.

With the first set of pictures I was thinking what RelicGrubber wrote. The difference in pictures is amazing.

 

[ToddsPoint]

I'll go with old diggers description. Looks right to me. Gary

 

[Tdog]

I’m not an expert on the entire Clovis tool kit but it looks like the back side hasn’t been worked all that much. If anything I’d say a utilized flake over a Clovis biface

Yes, this.

 

[Jross]

Thank you all so much for your input. As i said there's worked pieces littering the ground everywhere up there. A lot of really crude looking pieces too. I'd always told my daughter that people would come from miles to quarry the flint but they would also bring their kids along to teach them how to knap, would explain all the crude looking pieces. Teaching young ones at the quarry would make more sense than teaching with material that was carried for miles at home

 

[dirstscratcher]

The photo of the backside shows that it's just a spall from somewhere in the reduction process. It may have had the edge worked to use as a side knife or scraper. It is an artifact but no way to assign an age or culture, just my opinion.

 

[uniface]

The prominent bulb of percussion would rule out Paleo.

 

[newnan man]

Just curious but I do not recall ever seeing a Clovis or associated tools made with Flint Ridge material. If someone has or knows more I would like their input. Also I have never seen a Thebes made of FR! I find it interesting.

 

[MAMucker]

The prominent bulb of percussion would rule out Paleo.

Clearer pictures would help a great deal.

It’s a flake. Maybe worked.

 

[jp4ever]

Just curious but I do not recall ever seeing a Clovis or associated tools made with Flint Ridge material. If someone has or knows more I would like their input. Also I have never seen a Thebes made of FR! I find it interesting.

newan man. if you can find the book, Flint Ridge Artifacts, by Lar Hothem. it will show artifacts from paleao to hopewell time period, only in Flint Ridge material.

He was a well known and respected author from Lancaster Ohio, he had his own publishing company. He passed away in 2006, my wife and I went to his memorandum at Flint Ridge. Sue, his Wife said that there would not be any reprinting of his work. A quick google search found, no pics. of the book (bright orange hard bound cover) but a couple available, though quite pricey! jp4ever

 

[newnan man]

newan man. if you can find the book, Flint Ridge Artifacts, by Lar Hothem. it will show artifacts from paleao to hopewell time period, only in Flint Ridge material.

He was a well known and respected author from Lancaster Ohio, he had his own publishing company. He passed away in 2006, my wife and I went to his memorandum at Flint Ridge. Sue, his Wife said that there would not be any reprinting of his work. A quick google search found, no pics. of the book (bright orange hard bound cover) but a couple available, though quite pricey! jp4ever

Thanks, I'm familiar with Lar Hothem and have on of his books on hardstone artifacts. I've not seen the book you mention but love to read and will check it out.

 

[uniface]

My bad on that call. Jumped to that conclusion from seeing the little picture of the side view. Looking at that image enlarged as much as possible, it's clearly an overshot flake termination.

Sorry.