I found this on a slate bank in N.W. Arkansas...

[Jon Phillips]

I found this deer hunting in Northwest Arkansas as a kid. It was on a large slate bank, sticking out of the side of a hill, next to a clear creek. (I would love to go back to that spot again to do some different type of hunting, since the artifacts are "thick" around there according to the guys we were hunting with.)

I thought it was natural at first, but after a closer look...it seemed to be ground down to a wedge at the tip, and I thought it might had been used to split open slate layers. I think it was left there, as it served no other purpose than at the slate bank.

What do you guys think? I don't know what it is made of other than hard stone.

 

[rock]

Adze or Gouge I do believe. Could be a Chisel though. I would of picked up.

 

[NC field hunter]

I'm not sure if its an artifact. I really can't see any work on it.

 

[NC field hunter]

I'm not sure if its an artifact. I really can't see any work on it.

I've kept pieces like it though. Didn't mean to come off as a know it all idiot.

 

[flinthunter]

I would have picked it up myself but from the pictures I don't see anything that is worked by man.

 

[bmartin0693]

B. Martin would have gladly put it in his collection. I think it could be a stone club easy. It just needs a handle. I actually make it out of what I find and I'm currently working some now as a side project. That one would put a hurting! I'd like to have it, lol! Very cool!

 

[Jon Phillips]

I've kept pieces like it though. Didn't mean to come off as a know it all idiot.

No worries!

I asked for opinions....and I know a lot of plain old rocks get posted here on occasion!

I was on the fence about it when I found it....I even put it down, but that one side that was perfectly smooth and flat, made it into a nice wedge, and is definitely smoother than any other surface on it. Another hunter from our camp picked it up and showed it to me down the road towards camp, and I said that I had found it at the slate outcropping...he handed it back to me and said to keep it because it was an artifact. He had a ton of stuff at his house including grooved axes, so I took his word on the subject, but I have always had doubts.

If it is natural, it is quite a coincidence that it ended up with that wedge shape at the tip. I always figured that it was just that one surface that was ground down on an, otherwise, conveniently shaped rock... It would work just right to split open layers of slate when pushed between them.

I'm still unsure...

"Bottom":



Smooth side:






The one thing that still makes me think "altered by man":

 

[Jon Phillips]

Thanks for the opinions guys!

 

[Tnmountains]

Jon I have taken a jewelers loop or a microscope and looked at pieces. If it was worked it may have very small incisions left on it from grinding and sanding. There has to be the tale tale marks of man somewhere if worked.
I never knew that until I looked at a celt under magnification the whole thing had small incised lines all over it in area they were reducing down.

 

[Jon Phillips]

I hear ya.

If it's just a rock, it's a cool little one anyway! I never displayed it or anything....just always held onto it.

 

[Tnmountains]

Hahaha we all like rocks !

 

[Twitch]

I'm twice the idiot that NCfieldhunter is, but I'm not certain that it's just a rock. Of course I have no idea, but the bit end looks like it could be worked to me. I wouldn't dismiss it without looking at it a little closer. Cool piece either way.

 

[NC field hunter]

I'm twice the idiot that NCfieldhunter is, but I'm not certain that it's just a rock. Of course I have no idea, but the bit end looks like it could be worked to me. I wouldn't dismiss it without looking at it a little closer. Cool piece either way.

Your only boarder line genius too? Lol! You Tha man Twitch!