Preform Axe?

[Jaxton]

My home sits on a woodland bluff above a wide valley with a medium-sized stream in Central Illinois. The Wisconsin Glacier's southern reach in the area is known as the Shelbyville Moraine, and there is much raw lithic material carried by the glacier on the property. There is abundant evidence of early habitation in the area. Yesterday I noticed this hardstone buried to the 'pole' about mid-way in elevation between the plateau and the bottom land. It has the appearance of an axe in the making with a start of a groove and shaping to a blade and pole. The surface is well-weathered. I wonder whether or not this is a preform axe and ask the community for your insights. Thanks.

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

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[ToddsPoint]

I don't see any pecking on your stone. It would have a much rougher appearance if it was on its way to being an axe. Gary

 

[newnan man]

Agreed. It is a rock.

 

[Jaxton]

The material of this piece is on the the low side of hardness and is it possible that it was mainly ground, not pecked. (Was this done?) I do see some evidence of pocking and certainly much weathering. The latter would have erased most of the former.

The Hardin, Pulaski, and St. Charles points recovered from a 200' radius of this find are all Early Archaic.

 

[Jaxton]

The piece may well be just a rock, but it is one with an axe general outline; some rasping to shape; a rudimentary groove; a squared pole; and a slant of a blade. To have a couple of these features, a rock is highly likely to be a happenstance ghost leading nowhere. Here there are five markers of possible human touch; this leads me to pause.

Are there any available studies of preform axes? I have not been able to locate anything significant.

Thanks for the help.