Large crude tool or just wild imagination? Please help...

[filmiracl]

Found this peculiar stone where I've found a couple of worked flakes and others have found a number of points and the like. You guys think this is some type of crude tool of some kind? It looks as if purposely chipped off on one side (on both sides) ... but the work is not clean at all. What do you think?

 

[ptsofnc]

If you found that in a field where you find points, I'd say that that might be some kind of expedient tool as NAs often used river cobble for that purpose (at least in the southeast). If you found it in a creek or river, I wouldn't be so sure. It does look like it was purposely fractured. But a lot of people will disagree. And I don't know for sure.

 

[filmiracl]

Yeah, it's hard to tell... looks deliberate, but it's just so crude that who knows. It was found along a river that has evidence of long time usage by native americans... so it's possible it could have been broken up by other rocks, but it's just weird the way it's shaped.

 

[iowa trout]

Yes its real bi-facial artifact ,skull chopper lol ,I got several now! my thoughts be the same as yours the first time. Good eye

 

[filmiracl]

Yes its real bi-facial artifact ,skull chopper lol ,I got several now! my thoughts be the same as yours the first time. Good eye

Thanks... Got any picks of yours? I've been trying to find something similar online but can't really find anything.

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

I would have brought it home! Cool find!

 

[rock]

A dry pic would be nice to see but it looks good from here. They did use some pieces off of it looks like. Might not be finished or they might of used it as is for a quick chopper.

 

[quito]

i like it!

 

[rock]

What else did you find on that huge gravel bar? Had to be something else there. It takes a long time to look through one like that and you have to go so slow.

 

[filmiracl]

Thanks everyone. I actually didn't take it, haha... I hid it by a tree because I didn't feel like carrying it all the way back to my car. Guess I'll stop by at lunch and grab it. Well, this is a huge rock bar -- extending for miles. It's the "beach" next to a river. I haven't found much here, but I have seen stuff other people found and they find a lot of points, weights, etc. I've only found two flakes (in my recent posts) but yesterday I spotted this thing. I have yet to find a point of any kind anywhere... still waiting for that.

 

[reuellis]

smaller than your find but similar, from wv:

 

[reuellis]

Some killer gravel In that stream as well, where was this found?

 

[filmiracl]

Thanks for those pics, reuellis... That's similar in crudeness for sure. This stuff is found along the Delaware River just outside Philly. The place I want to go is in Philly but private property and they wouldn't give me permission.

 

[rock]

Choppers come in all shapes and sizes. I hunted a field last year and found 1 chopper and 1 point and that was it both were near each other. Huge one, this one is interesting due to a grinding mark on top so it was a multi purpose tool.

 

[1320]

Unless your rock is flint or chert, I'd donate it back to the gravel bar.

 

[filmiracl]

Choppers come in all shapes and sizes. I hunted a field last year and found 1 chopper and 1 point and that was it both were near each other. Huge one, this one is interesting due to a grinding mark on top so it was a multi purpose tool.

Thanks for the pic. I did some googling and did find many similar choppers... most being paleo and from Europe / Africa, however, there are plenty similar things found in the states... so apparently, they were crudely made on the spot when needed and often discarded.

Unless your rock is flint or chert, I'd donate it back to the gravel bar.

I'm no geologist and don't know much about rocks... but I believe this is quartzite... which they did use around here (Philly area.)

 

[Mark Todd]

I'd say wild imagination on every picture in this thread. If someone asked... Is it possible any of these pictured rocks are crude tools, I'd say yes but you could never know for sure period. If you want to hang on to "maybe" rocks that's cool, but obvious artifacts are more interesting.
Happy hunting!

 

[rock]

I'd say wild imagination on every picture in this thread. If someone asked... Is it possible any of these pictured rocks are crude tools, I'd say yes but you could never know for sure period. If you want to hang on to "maybe" rocks that's cool, but obvious artifacts are more interesting.
Happy hunting!

So are you saying there isnt any edge work on his or mine? They made quick tools all the time. Just leave them for somebody else that enjoys all stone tools like me. Not every artifact was made pretty.

 

[quito]

I'd say wild imagination on every picture in this thread. If someone asked... Is it possible any of these pictured rocks are crude tools, I'd say yes but you could never know for sure period. If you want to hang on to "maybe" rocks that's cool, but obvious artifacts are more interesting.
Happy hunting!

I'd say you likely leave a lot of interesting artifacts behind with that attitude about artifacts Mark.

Sometimes they don't become obvious till you study and figure them out........... Obvious artifacts are great alright, but the most interesting pieces in my humble opinion are the ones that aren't notched, grooved, or ground into an obvious artifact.

 

[filmiracl]

Check out google images for "Oldowan Chopper" (which I know are paleo choppers found outside the USA, but they're nearly identical) - https://www.google.com/search?q=old...ved=0ahUKEwjgloeQu8_LAhXMHx4KHU4SCBUQ_AUIBigB