Some scrapers and some questions

[Bluesy]

Here are some scrapers that I found in the creek yesterday. The creek tumbles them something fierce but every once in awhile, you can clearly see the flaking. All of these are worked to an edge (I know it might be hard to see in my pics) and the curved ones are worked on both the concave and convex sides.

I think the crusty one in the middle, to the left of the quarter, is a blade but it is uniface so I'm calling it a scraper. What do you think?

Also, how do you decide what to keep and what to throw back?

If you found these scrapers, which would you keep and which would you toss?

I'm asking because I'm running out of room for my rocks. Lol

Thank you for any help.

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[Neogeo]

None of them....I have a box of broken or crude worked pieces.They make great starter set for folks & kids that want to learn...Great lithics....

 

[Bluesy]

Thank you, Neo. I'm still learning so I really appreciate all the help I can get.

 

[Neogeo]

IMO...Any worked piece is worth saveing....We are the first people to touct those items in thousands of years..What a thrill....

 

[Bluesy]

I think so, too, Neo. It's funny, when I was a girl, I hated history. Now, I can't get enough of it. I almost love the research as much as I love looking for the artifacts. Maybe I'll start a rock garden with all of the "not so great" finds - I know my hubby will be happy if I get them out of the garage. lol

 

[Neogeo]

I think all artifact-hounds end up with a rock garden in time....lol

 

[oldgoat]

I think all artifact-hounds end up with a rock garden in time....lol
[A/quote] Ain't that the truth...Mine started out with just a piece or two that didn't fit into any shelf or category, other than worked pieces, now it has worked its way around the house, added a few skulls, horse and cow and coyote and deer, some petrified wood, added some pricklypear cactus and have a nice show piece now...lol

 

[Neogeo]

I would love to see it...Any pics?

 

[uniface]

You found some nice stuff there, Bluesy ! Nice and interesting to boot.

Very interesting, IMO.

 

[oldgoat]

Neo, don't have the computer skills for pics...Bluesy, I have been remiss, Those are some nice scrapers and I do appreciate the pics...

 

[Neogeo]

Har no prob...

 

[Bluesy]

Thank you, OldGoat. I would have liked to seen your pics, too. Maybe a peek into my future rock garden?

Uniface, thank you. I think they are interesting, too. I know these are not good examples but I really like the 3 in the bottom right corner. I thought the one to the right of the quarter, in the center, was a broken square knife when I found it but it is a uniface so I don't know. The curved one at the bottom center is really pretty and I think it might be petrified wood because I haven't seen any material like it around here. It doesn't have any obvious working except around the edges so I guess it was used as a quickie scraper or maybe everything else tumbled off in the creek. The big white one on the far right is worked into an edge all the way around so I think it was used as a scraper, too. Gotta tell you, they sure did a lot of scraping around here so there just HAS to be some points here, too.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Nice Scrapers and tools Bluesy. I really like the brown with the black spots at the bottom of the picture. It looks very similar to this one of mine.

 

[Bluesy]

Wow, Dorkfish, yours is a beauty! Kind of makes mine look like the ugly stepsister - lol - but they are really similar. I have a theory on the curved scrapers that maybe they used the concave side to scrape meat off of the bone? Is that even close? But what about the other side? How did they use it?

 

[uniface]

A couple more curvies.

 

[JUNKYARD DOG]

nice finds, way to go. I keep all my finds plus any pretty rocks I find, I plan a rock garden also. Good luck. JYD...

 

[*Molly*]

Nice tools & scrapers. Especially the bottom middle one.
Keep all you find that's worked. That's the best advice any newbie can be given.
Good luck Blue. Look forwards to seeing what else you find.

Molly.

 

[Neanderthal]

Bluesy, the only one in your picture that I can tell for sure was a tool is the one in the top right hand corner. It looks like either a broken hafted scraper, or a base section upside down. The one in the center right looks like it was worked at one time or the other, but they either discarded it or it was broken before completion. Can't tell if the bottom one has a worked edge or not, but the rest all look like incidentally damaged rock from what I can see.

 

[uniface]

At the risk of appearing to disagree with Neanderthal (whose knowledge of your area is pretty encyclopedic),

It is pretty difficult to tell from a photo sometimes. But put it this way : There are several pieces in your group that look, to me, more like potential tools than not potential tools. That's why I said they were interesting. To me, they are.

We're back into the dual definition of "tool" again, methinks. If a "tool" is a purposefully shaped, made-on-a-pattern item like a grooved axe or a bi-pointed knife, then most of yours don't quality.

But if a "tool" is anything (stone, bone, antler, shell or wood) purposefully modified to accomplish some objective (whether carefully or hastily), it gets a lot more inclusive, and starts depending more on details of the individual item in question.

I wouldn't lose heart because they're category twos, or potentially so. They made (and used) these too.

 

[Neogeo]

I like to call them quick tools...Make'em,use'em,toss'em.
I find lots of flint that does not fit in a group.(knife,scraper etc.)But does have a worked edge,of some sort...