past 3 dsys finds--early/pre-Lenape

[RJo]

Just sharing some artifacts I found while hand digging a drainage trench, and something I can only describe as resembling a fossilized bivalve of some sort. These were all dug from the same 10 foot section of a 24 inch deep x 8 inch wide (roughly) trench.

The thread title is "early/pre" as not to reignite a century old debate. Some might be interested to know that no pottery was found for 20 feet of trench however, a remaining 60 feet of trench is only 6 inches deep--yet to be dug to full depth.

For some background on me and my treasure hunting area, see my first post.

In the pic containing 5 items:

• The 2 upper left items were found in the same trenching shovel load.
• The far upper left is a slighty worn (dimpled) celt head. The narrow end is squared off possibly to receive a burned and carved handle (before the grooved stone and rawhide method was used).
• The smallest item is a child's toy, knapped from softer sedimentary stone. For scale purposes, it measures 1 3/4 inches long x 3/4 inch tall x 1/2 inch wide.
• The far upper right is a hand ax or hammerstone. The left edge is substantially worn, and there is a thumb grove in the upside of the furthest end in the pic.
• The broken rectangle is a gnap stone. The lower left corner is chipped away from gnapping other stones.
• The item at the bottom in the pic is the mystery. I actually found it today. There is a gray sparkly and wavy ring (complete) protruding from, roughly, the center of the rock. Is there such a thing as a geode that looks like an oyster? Anyone?

 

[RJo]

Update... My fiance borrowed a 670 page book, entitled The Lenape-Delaware Indian Heritage from our local library, and kindly pointed out a 5 inch fossilized freshwater mussel shell--looking very similar to my mystery item. Why the mussel was found unopened near the tools raises more questions in my mind.

(I still chuckle at the use of the word, Indian, in this day and age to describe Americans--all based on a visitor's poor navigational skills.)