Old copper culture artifact?

[Colonial Copper Zeus]

I found this in March and would like to have someone relate to me what exactly it is. It was found in central Pa. on the bank of a creek.It is sharpened.

 

[GL]

Part of a trade ax?

 

[relichunters]

Looks like a axe head.

 

[Montana Jim]

Zeus... I've been looking half the day and finally found this amonst listed "trade goods", but it could have been used by anyone. I do NOT know if this example is copper or not.

Hide Scraper



http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/museum/goods/goods.html

 

[Colonial Copper Zeus]

Is it copper? If so, disregard what I'm about to say. It appears (based on just the one photo) that it could be a child's toy axehead - from a play set.

It's copper. I've already been told it is old indian but that's about it. Multiple people said they wan't me to send it to them to analyze the copper content. The indians were around here for at least 7000 years.

 

[CoolFrayers]

Very interesting indeed.
Here in Pennsylvania, tools were generally made out of stone, not copper.
However, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the indians knew about the mass amount of copper in their area and used it in jewelry, ceremonial artifacts and tools. I have seen grinding tools, stripping tools, scraping tools and axe heads up there, but never in Pennsylvania. The indians realized quickly that it did not work well for an axe however, way too soft of a metal; so they continued to use rocks for their axe heads. I would be interested to know if any other type artifacts have been found here.
If this "does" prove to be indian, and it is indeed a hatchet head; you have a very rare artifact.
A lot of indian artifacts have been uncovered in the past two years in Pennsylvania due to the 2006 flooding. The banks of the creeks/rivers were inhabited by a lot of indians whose artifacts were buried, until the recent flooding dug it all up.
I have found a lot of stone artifacts, never copper or any other type of metal in Pennsylvania.
Can we have different angles of it?

 

[DCMatt]

I would guess it's a hide scraper. Not necessarily Indian... but very old.

DCMatt

 

[CoolFrayers]

Can you take more pictures of it? please please please.....

 

[Colonial Copper Zeus]

Can you take more pictures of it? please please please.....

Both sides are identical . New pics would not matter. I am excited about this find. I've been detecting for about 20 years and never found something potentially thousands of years old.
Chris

 

[CoolFrayers]

Can you take more pictures of it? please please please.....

Both sides are identical . New pics would not matter. I am excited about this find. I've been detecting for about 20 years and never found something potentially thousands of years old.
Chris

I would get it looked at by a professional.
As for it being "thousands" of years old, I do not know. I think with it being in a moist enviroment, it would have a lot more green corrosion on it- my guess would be less than that.
But; I forget my wifes Birthday, so what do I know, lol.
If you get it looked at, please give us an update.
I tried adding a handle to it to satisfy my mental picture. Are there any types of grooves on it that are covered by corrosion? Even if hide strapping were used, they still should have left marks due to the softness of the metal.
The nipple (hehe, I said nipple) on the top looks to me as if it should have been connected to a handle of some sort.
Anyway, two more cents from me.

 

[SamsSon]

This is a very tardy response to your thread.

I don't know if your find is genuine Native American or not but as for the copper relics of the so-called "Copper Culture" these artifacts have been found as far south as Florida (as I recall).

True "Copper Culture" relics originated in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin. Probably more are dug in Wisconsin than Michigan.

These are known by tiny amounts of silver in the copper alloy due to coming from "float copper."

All the axe heads and other tools, points, knives, etc., I've seen appear to be rolled/formed thin sheets of hammered copper.

The people who did these were obviously advanced for their times.

If you check ebay you'll discover these artifacts for sale from time to time. These are a tremendous bargin now but they won't be in a few years.

Nice axe head and best to you.

 

[GL]

It looks more like the tip off a broken trade axe.

 

[thompy]

it looks good to me, sure looks like copper, and copper culture artifacts have been found all over the US, must have been a lot of trading back then

 

[ourhistory153]

I interviewed a famous treasure salvager and he let me photograph some items that he had
found off some Spanish ships. They look similar to these, don't you think?

 

[SamsSon]

These relics are interesting but differ greatly from the "Copper Culture" artifacts of northern Michigan.

The later "Woodland" Indians made many items out of the cooper brought here by the European settlers. That's what the axe head pictured at the beginning of this thread appears to be. It's not "Copper Culture" but "Woodland."

The "Copper Culture" people were something special and when they suddenly vanished from this earth they took with them their knowledge but left behind their tools and copper products. I've seen "Copper Culture" serrated blade knives that are today considered of modern design and invention. They had them 6000+ years ago!

The "Copper Culture" people will always be a mystery.