Spear Point Type ID Needed

[NCPeaches]

This was found in a field in the Burke County area of the Western Piedmont area of NC and the only one of my points I don't know the type of. Any ideas? thanks for looking!


Side view:

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Can we see a side view please? It looks thick.

 

[NCPeaches]

Can we see a side view please? It looks thick.

Added a side view and yes it's thick...thanks for looking at it.

 

[OWK]

I would probably ID that as Non.


A Non-spear point.

 

[curious kat]

Nice find Peaches, very pretty material...love the color

 

[Hot diggity]

The side view shows it's thicker at the tip than the base & that does not pierce well at all. It's not a spear point they are longer (& very cool!), but looking at the top pic it looks worked on one edge. A side scrapper. Scrapping hides looks like its best use to me. Nice find!

 

[Hot diggity]

Other side of a side scrapper. Mine looks a little different, but could have served the exact same purpose. Sorry 4 pic'n on ur post Peaches :} nice work out there.

 

[NCPeaches]

The side view shows it's thicker at the tip than the base & that does not pierce well at all. It's not a spear point they are longer (& very cool!), but looking at the top pic it looks worked on one edge. A side scrapper. Scrapping hides looks like its best use to me. Nice find!

Thanks Hot diggity and love the pics you posted! Since it has a base do you think it was hafted on a bone or stick? I was thinking it might have been a scraper due to it being rounded toward the point. There's been a lot of tools and points found in this area but it was an area of large Catawba population and very near the Catawba river.

 

[SCrocks]

May just be a preform they started on and abandoned.

 

[Hot diggity]

Scraper I guess. Not scrapper :}

 

[willjo]

Field rock quartz

Here is an example of a hafted scraper and a piece of field rock quartz. The field rock has three places where it has places that were taken off to shape it and discarded It was in a campsite and deep enough that it has not been hit by a plow. This is the type of rock your piece is made from which is extremely hard to knap or shape. If your piece was a tool it was most likely a hafted scraper which was used on a handle like the example shown. It has blunt on it and there is some thinking that these were also used on arrows to stun small game.

 

[Hot diggity]

Hafted scraper. Yeah if it's a tool that's probably a more accurate description. It's a little crude but looks worked.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

May just be a preform they started on and abandoned.

I agree with this assessment. It's too thick to have been actual Point I believe. It looks like they were trying to thin it out and just gave up.

 

[Hot diggity]

I'm not good with geology but this looks like one of the harder stones & looked like they had no problem. That "might" be the finished product. Has an edge & seems to fit a ladies hand quite well. Not being sexist but women, even kids would have scraped while the men were away. Scraper's must be more common than we recognize. Not saying it was well used though (if at all) or it would probably be all scratched up.

 

[Charl]

May just be a preform they started on and abandoned.

I think this may be the case if it isn't a scraper per se.

 

[Charl]

Here are various types of scrapers. If your's were a scraper, it would be an end scraper. These are often salvaged from broken points. There is an example seen in the end scraper box in the illustration. The quartz end scrapers in the third photo may have been salvaged from broken quartz points. Hard to say whether your piece is a scraper or unfinished form. But, generally the bit on an end scraper will be beveled from use as a scraper. In the other two photos, the first and last photo, a nice quartz end scraper with the beveled bit seen head on....

 

[Hot diggity]

Good info. The only reason I'm reluctant to say preform is it's already flaked on one side before its been thinned out more. Just seems like a backward order of doing it. Still looks a bit thick to have used a handle. Not all would have had one though. Each family must have had an assortment of different scrapers like we have kitchen knives today. Some used more than others. Their favorites probably got the handles. At least nobody is saying rock Peaches. HH

 

[NCPeaches]

Good info. The only reason I'm reluctant to say preform is it's already flaked on one side before its been thinned out more. Just seems like a backward order of doing it. Still looks a bit thick to have used a handle. Not all would have had one though. Each family must have had an assortment of different scrapers like we have kitchen knives today. Some used more than others. Their favorites probably got the handles. At least nobody is saying rock Peaches. HH

It was called a "Non" but that was all