Is it anything?

[Older The Better]

Found this odd ball yesterday. My first thought was gun flint? But I’m not really sold on that, the bulb of percussion seems weird to me, you would expect it to come from the top of the flake but there’s a angled face away from where you would strike. Then there appears to be fine flaking on the edges of the flake. The work is on opposite faces creating what would be a uniface tool you could flip and have your working edge facing the same direction. It was found on a bluff top in a midden so no water action. Curious what others think or if anyone has found anything like it. Or if you knappers know how you get a bulb like that. hope the pictures show it well enough, the possible/probable flaking is so slight it’s tough to capture

 

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[antmike915]

Maybe part of a uniface tool

 

[Older The Better]

I left out some info, it ends in a hinge fracture opposite the bulb so that is the entirety of the piece, I’ve also wondered if the edge work was to square it up, if it was supposed to be a gun flint

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

IMPO, it looks natural to me and the edge work looks random.

 

[unclemac]

could be native made gun flint i suppose

 

[Older The Better]

IMPO, it looks natural to me and the edge work looks random.

It’s easy to overlook details because I work on that site a lot, some more information I left out, it’s a non native stone, found just over the lip of a limestone bluff, the bluff is within 5-6 feet of the highest point in the area and really not too far from the highest point in the county, the matrix if you’d call it that is large collapsed hunks of limestone, filled in with limestone crumbles flaking off the wall and overhang and fine wind blown dirt to round it out, there’s a small ledge maybe 10’ wide then a fairly steep drop off 30-40’ to a flood plain. Found with other various flakes, burnt bone, mussel shells and the recent point I posted. With the bulb of percussion and ripples I’m confident it’s at least a flake, that may be all it is. I just don’t want to miss anything as I’m trying to interpret the site. I’d love to know everything I could possibly know about who was there, I’ve found other uniface tools and flake knives so it’s not a crazy interpretation but it definitely is very subtle if it is a tool

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Sorry. IMPO, still looks natural, and could be natural flake. You didn't give any measurements but the pictures look thick for a gun flint, but that could just be the pictures. Again, just my opinion.👍

 

[Older The Better]

I’m not looking to argue but I don’t understand how you could think it’s a natural flake if there’s no natural rock for it to flake off of, and no natural process to get a rock that isn’t native to the area into that place? It’s not from water action it’s at the top of the landscape there’s no streams above to carry any stone it would have to be a biblical flood to come from below and it’s on a ledge so no large animals or equipment have ever been over the area. Maybe the photo will help? If not I guess we’ll just have to disagree on this one

Here it is for scale and next to two store bought gunflints

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

We are not arguing, at least I don't feel so, that was why I said in my personal opinion (IMPO), it was based on current pictures and info.

Your additional info and the 2nd set of pictures are much more informative and pictures are better than 1st set. It may indeed be broken pieces. Don't think it is gun flint, but could be broken pieces of temp tools. 👍

 

[Relicgrubber]

Why ask "is it anything" then debate about the fact "you think it is something" when someone gives an opinion against it being anything

Crazy stuff...

 

[Older The Better]

Why ask "is it anything" then debate about the fact "you think it is something" when someone gives an opinion against it being anything

Crazy stuff...

I had the same sentiment, fact is I was caught off guard that people didn’t feel it was a flake, I was more prepared to debate if it was any sort of tool.

As far as treasure hunter and is concerned it was some amount of surprise but also genuine curiosity as to why we we’re seeing such different things, as far as saying I didn’t want to argue I just didn’t want to have a marginal flake turn into one of those threads that goes off the rails, I just wanted to see how others interpreted it. Never hurts to ask, I’ve been pleasantly surprised before at some answers.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I had the same sentiment, fact is I was caught off guard that people didn’t feel it was a flake, I was more prepared to debate if it was any sort of tool.

As far as treasure hunter and is concerned it was some amount of surprise but also genuine curiosity as to why we we’re seeing such different things, as far as saying I didn’t want to argue I just didn’t want to have a marginal flake turn into one of those threads that goes off the rails, I just wanted to see how others interpreted it. Never hurts to ask, I’ve been pleasantly surprised before at some answers.

FYI, we are good. 👍