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**UpNorth** · 03-15-2021, 08:11 PM

I’ve never found one up here in the upper mid-west.
seen many of them posted here.
I don’t believe them to be rare, maybe more of a regional thing.
may be popular in the s.e. Region?.......✌️

**Hal Gorges** · 03-15-2021, 08:54 PM

What do they look like.

**willjo** · 03-15-2021, 09:08 PM

J shirley just posted a small jasper one, only a knife with flat spot on back for finger pressure

**SurfaceHunter** · 03-15-2021, 09:15 PM

Some times they are called Side Scrapers to i have some but not handy. Let's see what you found

**Tradewater kenny** · 03-15-2021, 09:19 PM

I have some big scrapers flat on the back not notched just big scrapers

**UpNorth** · 03-15-2021, 10:31 PM

After digging around a bit..
this one may qualify..
either hand held or halfted on the blunt side....✌️

**Hal Gorges** · 03-15-2021, 10:35 PM

Is this one,

**Eastern** · 03-16-2021, 07:42 AM

Hal Gorges, f your like me and have ADD... you are right on! That’s why I like looking at rocks. Lol

**CMD** · 03-16-2021, 09:08 AM

According to Louis Brennan’s “Artifacts of Prehistoric America”(1975), which I have long felt is one of the best books for illustrating crude artifacts, the stages of production of many classes of artifacts, and types of artifacts many of us find, but very few guides even discuss, backed knives “are heavy-duty, one-edged knives usually made on thick spalls. The side opposite the edge is broad, often unmodified pebble cortex, as a hand rest and hand grip. The edges usually show strenuous use. The backing allows the user to put considerable pressure on the grip as he cuts through hard material.”(page 90)

Here are Brennan’s examples:

Going by the above description by Brennan, this personal find looks like one. Not sure, as I have little experience with the type. But, this is a thick quartz spall, with a cutting edge, and a surface of cortex opposite that edge, upon which cortex my index finger rests comfortably:

**Rio Del Norte** · 03-16-2021, 10:11 AM

Some Archaic Basalt from my area. Long biface one on left has a flat surface along the top, held with small end towards palm. Nice index finger platform.

The one on the right has a deffinate index finger notch and utilizes the round end for cutting.

Attached Files

**utilized flake** · 03-16-2021, 11:44 AM

I've read about backed knives after finding one. Now that I have a handful, I think if falls on the spectrum of burined edge on one side and pyramidical platforms on the other. Going to open up the tool boxes and I'll dig a few out to post pics of!

**SurfaceHunter** · 03-16-2021, 12:43 PM

The ones I have found seem to be bi faces snapped right down the middle and the snapped side grounded smooth

**Cecilia** · 03-16-2021, 02:23 PM

WillJo refers to them as “backed” knives, and all my southeastern as well as some western forum buddies collectively have many, many, so look forward to seeing The Backed Knives Show!