Hello all! I have always been interested in Native American history and artifacts but am new to hunting. I have 3 full table tops full of artifacts similar to this but I really don't know what I have. I would appreciate any help in identifying the name of the artifact, the period it was used/created and what it was used for.
All of these artifacts were found in the same creek running between high hills with farmed fields at the top in southern Illinois.
First picture - almost all of these pieces are made from limestone and some feel even softer like sandstone but I don't think that's the case. Does it appear that this may be a much older site due to the material used and crudeness of the pieces?
- Large Shoulder blade - appears to have gnaw marks from other posts I've seen. What kind of animal and could it have been used as a tool?
-Limestone effigy? - piece to left of shoulder blade. Looks to me like a pregnant woman.
-bone tool - to left of shoulder blade. It has horizontal markings similar to what I have seen on bark beaters.
- bone piece - directly below shoulder blade. At first I believed the markings to be made by hand and forming a groove down the middle of the piece but from other posts I think they may be gnaw marks. They do form an interesting feature and there is a hole drilled through the piece. Maybe a pendant?
-Rectangular pendant? - piece to lower left of shoulder blade.
- Axe heads - the two pieces to the right of the shoulder seem to me to be more elegant than the tools used for everyday use. I'm very curious to learn more about these two!
-Hoe? - piece below two axe heads.
- Odd shape heads - pieces to right of large axe heads have odd shapes to me.
- other pieces - the piece to top right of odd shapes that almost looks like a bird head is different from the others in that it is more centered and three dimensional. Looking at it from straight on it has a pyramidal shape. The other pieces look like more crude hand axe and hammer heads but I'm not sure.
Picture two
- Middle left pieces - the pieces to middle and lower left are softer eroded limestone pieces that to me look like daggers/knives hammers and even a hand held chopping tool at the very lower left. This piece fits nicely in your hand with a sharpened edge that is weighted on the other side.
Many of the pieces to the right of the previous mentioned are made of chert, or so I believe. The pieces at lower right have flat angles edges maybe for scraping or grinding? Many other various sizes shapes etc that I'm not to sure about. Please let me know if you notice any other pieces that catch your eye that you think are worth mentioning.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Let me know what you think of the overall find. I am excited about it and feel I have found something special but please let me know if I am way off base. If there are any items that you need to see from different angles I would be happy to take more pics and post.
Thanks for your help and happy hunting!!
All of these artifacts were found in the same creek running between high hills with farmed fields at the top in southern Illinois.
First picture - almost all of these pieces are made from limestone and some feel even softer like sandstone but I don't think that's the case. Does it appear that this may be a much older site due to the material used and crudeness of the pieces?
- Large Shoulder blade - appears to have gnaw marks from other posts I've seen. What kind of animal and could it have been used as a tool?
-Limestone effigy? - piece to left of shoulder blade. Looks to me like a pregnant woman.
-bone tool - to left of shoulder blade. It has horizontal markings similar to what I have seen on bark beaters.
- bone piece - directly below shoulder blade. At first I believed the markings to be made by hand and forming a groove down the middle of the piece but from other posts I think they may be gnaw marks. They do form an interesting feature and there is a hole drilled through the piece. Maybe a pendant?
-Rectangular pendant? - piece to lower left of shoulder blade.
- Axe heads - the two pieces to the right of the shoulder seem to me to be more elegant than the tools used for everyday use. I'm very curious to learn more about these two!
-Hoe? - piece below two axe heads.
- Odd shape heads - pieces to right of large axe heads have odd shapes to me.
- other pieces - the piece to top right of odd shapes that almost looks like a bird head is different from the others in that it is more centered and three dimensional. Looking at it from straight on it has a pyramidal shape. The other pieces look like more crude hand axe and hammer heads but I'm not sure.
Picture two
- Middle left pieces - the pieces to middle and lower left are softer eroded limestone pieces that to me look like daggers/knives hammers and even a hand held chopping tool at the very lower left. This piece fits nicely in your hand with a sharpened edge that is weighted on the other side.
Many of the pieces to the right of the previous mentioned are made of chert, or so I believe. The pieces at lower right have flat angles edges maybe for scraping or grinding? Many other various sizes shapes etc that I'm not to sure about. Please let me know if you notice any other pieces that catch your eye that you think are worth mentioning.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Let me know what you think of the overall find. I am excited about it and feel I have found something special but please let me know if I am way off base. If there are any items that you need to see from different angles I would be happy to take more pics and post.
Thanks for your help and happy hunting!!
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