Last Weeks prehistoric Roughs

Airborne80 · Jul 13, 2009

Last Week's prehistoric Roughs

Here are some more items found this last weekend. You can see that once again, many have the single shoulder, almost Morrow Mountain look to them. Lots of these at the site that I hunt. Am I the only one finding this kind of thing or just the only one picking them up hahah? They are not pretty but very interesting to me. The last one is very strange and though I have seen material like this at the site, this is the first of this shape. It may just be a strangely shaped flat triangular rock, but it is very thin and unusual. Thanks for looking.

jpitt1970 · Jul 13, 2009

Re: Last Week's prehistoric Roughs

It's really hard to tell from the pictures because they are just enough out of focus to tell anything about your finds. They all look like pieces of natural quartzite to me, but the last picture screams Pendant, can we get some better shots of that please.

Airborne80 · Jul 13, 2009

Re: Last Week's prehistoric Roughs

jpitt1970 said:
It's really hard to tell from the pictures because they are just enough out of focus to tell anything about your finds. They all look like pieces of natural quartzite to me, but the last picture screams Pendant, can we get some better shots of that please.

I hear ya and am sorry for the pics. I only carry a cell phone (with camera) with me and never seem to have any time to scan for better pics. I will do my best though, so stay posted

Thanks for the thoughts.

unitas · Jul 13, 2009

Re: Last Week's prehistoric Roughs

I really like that last photo. Is it slate? It sure looks like a pendant. Happy hunting.

Tnmountains · Jul 13, 2009

Re: Last Week's prehistoric Roughs

Airborne you are finding way to many of these for them to not be something. Some may be just be natural rocks others may be just roughed out blanks. Are you finding them in water?

terryo · Jul 13, 2009

Re: Last Week's prehistoric Roughs

They are kinda fuzzy, so it is hard to tell for sure, if they are NA artifacts, I feel for the poor guy that tried to shape them stones ! I guess Florida chert has me spoiled.... :laughing7:

Airborne80 · Jul 14, 2009

Re: Last Week's prehistoric Roughs

jpitt1970 said:
It's really hard to tell from the pictures because they are just enough out of focus to tell anything about your finds. They all look like pieces of natural quartzite to me, but the last picture screams Pendant, can we get some better shots of that please.

yes... this is slate. I do find a fair amount of it here but its mostly flakes and fragments. I am not experienced with Pendants and would have to assume that the notches near the tip were used to attache it to the material used to hang it? Is it common to orient the pendants in this way.... with the broad side down? In any case, I will get better pics or a scan ASAP... I promise

Thanks.

Airborne80 · Jul 14, 2009

Re: Last Week's prehistoric Roughs

TnMountains said:
Airborne you are finding way to many of these for them to not be something. Some may be just be natural rocks others may be just roughed out blanks. Are you finding them in water?

Roger that brother.... i do find a lot and there is a common occurrence in them that does not show well in these photos. they are:
1: Found both in the water... right at the shoreline as well as on the higher ground overlooking the water. Its this higher flat ground that was the site of the summer fishing village, used for thousands of years. There are ancient fire pits, trash pits (full of animal bones, etc.), and tons upon tons of flakes made of white quartz, crystal quarts, jasmine, quartzite, etc. The ones in the water are dug up from the sand by the tide that ebbs and flows.

2: Though rough looking, there is usually one, more defined shoulder, and the edges are thin, with rounded, pretty evenly spaced flake marks that do not occur on the natural rocks in the area.

3: Many have a clear notch on at least one side and I have come to be able to tell by sight and feel the difference between a human induced notch and a random chip in a stone.

Again... When I get time to get better pics it might help but the reality is that........ many folks are reluctant to feel comfortable with previousally unidentified point types and/or material, so its a hard sell via photos alone. My point is that if folks could feel these things, there would be little doubts. The knowledge of the specific area that I hunt, combined with the limited materials that were and are present for use in tools and points..... not to mention the believed age of these items, makes it a no brainer in most cases.

Thanks again for the post

Airborne80 · Jul 14, 2009

Re: Last Week's prehistoric Roughs

terryo said:
They are kinda fuzzy, so it is hard to tell for sure, if they are NA artifacts, I feel for the poor guy that tried to shape them stones ! I guess Florida chert has me spoiled....

Hahah. yea..... sadly, in Northern Virgina, the material is not as easy to work with and in many cases, not as pretty as some of the other points from around the country. I have a few white and Crystal quartz beauties, but for the most part, they are pretty rough in appearance. Also, as this was a fishing site, I suspect they made and lost points by the hundreds per month and were not real into looks.... knowing that they would be lost after one use in many cases. That's why the river just keeps on uncovering them.