Native American ax with handle found

[dragon725]

Today I was in the woods about 100 yards from my house in East Tennessee looking around for a sassafras tree to dig up so I could make some tea for my wife. Then a stone laying on the ground caught my eye I noticed it looked like a ax head. Then after a second glance I could see the leather straps holding the ax and the handle together. Then as careful as I could I lifted the ax off the ground then I noticed that termites had almost eaten the entire ax handle.

 

[dragon725]

That is a very nice find. Your heart had to be thumpin when you first saw that. I'm on the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau in Morgan County, Where are you?

DANGLANGLEY

Yep my heart was really thumping after I took a good look at it and I never did dig up a Sassafrass tree. The first thing my wife said was o my god. After I sat down and started really examining it I couldn't believe that a wood handle would last that long just laying on the floor of the deep woods. Then I started looking on the internet for tomahawks that might resemble this one and couldn't really find any pics but I found this site. And I live in Cumberland County.

 

[Ohio_Doug]

Just maybe, some kids were playing in a cave and discovered the axe then dropped it in the woods. Highly unlikely I know but it is a thought. Also, did'nt natives use these types of axes as late as 200-300 years ago? Could be that they discovered this earlier axe bit and attached a handle to it.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Just maybe, some kids were playing in a cave and discovered the axe then dropped it in the woods. Highly unlikely I know but it is a thought. Also, did'nt natives use these types of axes as late as 200-300 years ago? Could be that they discovered this earlier axe bit and attached a handle to it.

Doug, that might be possible out west, but I don't know of any dry caves in our end of the country. Almost all of the caves in our areas are formed by water eroding the limestone formations.

 

[dragon725]

After thinking about it I decided to send my pics to the send the pics to the University of Tennessee museum. I didn't really expect to get a answer but got one back today. Here is the email I just received.

The ax head appears to be prehistoric dating to the Late Archaic period, ca. 2000 B.C. It is unlikely that the hafting is of the same period since it would have long ago decayed. My guess is that someone hafted a prehistoric ax in the recent past and left it/lost it. If this was found in one of the dry caves of the cumberland plateau, it could well be authentic since organic materials have been preserved in some of these caves.
Jeff Chapman, Director

 

[Ohio_Doug]

Just maybe, some kids were playing in a cave and discovered the axe then dropped it in the woods. Highly unlikely I know but it is a thought. Also, did'nt natives use these types of axes as late as 200-300 years ago? Could be that they discovered this earlier axe bit and attached a handle to it.

Doug, that might be possible out west, but I don't know of any dry caves in our end of the country. Almost all of the caves in our areas are formed by water eroding the limestone formations.

I have to disagree with ya on this one Dorkfish, I know of several sandstone rock shelters in Ross county that are way up there on some hillsides. I'm pretty sure they have'nt been submerged under water for hundreds of thousands, if not millions of years. I could be wrong but I don't think I am :P

 

[jeff a]

the dry caves steve is refering to are out west in arizona and utah,they get no humidity and are good for preserving organic material,the caves in the eastern us are damp and have high humidity,they can be on the top of a mountain and they are still damp from the moisture in the air,

 

[Tnmountains]

Hmmmm the rock shelters on the cumberland plateau. Some possibly could be dry enough.They are not really caves but shelters and some are very deep. I have found burnt wood in the firepits and burnt hickory nuts so maybe it is possible. There are many shelters that look like this one(on the cumberland plateau) I have posted before. Diffrent than a cave.
But this was not found in a rock shelter I think twice hafted like UTK said.
Very fun adventure you have there.................. TnMountains

 

[rginn]

It's a nice find anyway. Now if the stone is authentic, and in the pictures it looks pretty good, it's kind of cool that somebody actually had an idea of how to haft it. Sassafrass causes cancer? Next thing you know they will be saying tobacco is bad for you too!

 

[The Grim Reaper]

the dry caves steve is refering to are out west in arizona and utah,they get no humidity and are good for preserving organic material,the caves in the eastern us are damp and have high humidity,they can be on the top of a mountain and they are still damp from the moisture in the air,

Thank you Jeff for understanding what I was refering too. Even if a cave is way up high and never sees water, it will still draw moisture from humidity and organic material will eventually deteriorate. But the caves out west have almost zero humidity and that's why they find arrowheads still attached to the shafts.

 

[Ohio_Doug]

the dry caves steve is refering to are out west in arizona and utah,they get no humidity and are good for preserving organic material,the caves in the eastern us are damp and have high humidity,they can be on the top of a mountain and they are still damp from the moisture in the air,

Thank you Jeff for understanding what I was refering too. Even if a cave is way up high and never sees water, it will still draw moisture from humidity and organic material will eventually deteriorate. But the caves out wast have almost zero humidity and that's why they find arrowheads still attached to the shafts.

Well I guess that does make sense, I was'nt thinking about the humidity playing a factor but I guess it would.

 

[jeff a]

when i was in the military i did a tour at ft irwin california,it is in the desert by death valley ,we found some dry caves that had sandles made of reeds,they could have been from 200 yrs old to 5000 yrs old,around here the only thing organic in the caves and rock shelters is charred material,something about it being burnt preserves it

 

[davew0710]

Just maybe, some kids were playing in a cave and discovered the axe then dropped it in the woods. Highly unlikely I know but it is a thought. Also, didn't natives use these types of axes as late as 200-300 years ago? Could be that they discovered this earlier axe bit and attached a handle to it.

Doug, that might be possible out west, but I don't know of any dry caves in our end of the country. Almost all of the caves in our areas are formed by water eroding the limestone formations.

There have been a couple of finds in caves in Pennsylvania that have been authenticated where arrows and bows have been found, even some fibers and weaved materials.. However, the style of the axe looks to be much older. I read a first person account by Ben Franklin where he watched a demonstration by Delaware Indians using a stone ax to fell a tree.
However, the style of the axe looks to be much older. The author said he found this outside near a tree. No way the handle is authentic

 

[Tnmountains]

I doubt anyone thinks the handle is real but it does make finding it that way even more of a mystery as the head is real. Fun find for sure and great post. It made me study finds in tennessee cave art in Tennessee and leather found.Truth be known many leather items have actually come from the ground here just not on top

 

[dragon725]

Does anyone know of a company that I could send the ax head and a piece of the handle to. So I could get it tested for authenticity threw carbon testing or other methods. The only place I could find was this place http://www.artifactgrading.com/authentication.htm. And I dont know if the company is respectable or not.

 

[rginn]

You might check with your local colleges or universities first. Sometimes they can be very helpful, depending on who you deal with.

 

[Tnmountains]

You might check with your local colleges or universities first. Sometimes they can be very helpful, depending on who you deal with.

I agree send it to the people you spoke with up at The University Of Tennessee or the McCung Museum @ Knoxville.