Oblique arrowhead - US equivalent?

[DaveP]

I was wondering whether there is a US equivalent to this oblique Neolithic point picked up yesterday about 20 miles south of London? Unfortunately it's had a knock on one edge but it is from a farm that's been cultivated for perhaps 200 years so not surprising.

[Jon E. Busch]

Pretty cool Dave. Looks like a multi-purpose spokeshave from where I'm sitting...

Thanks for sharing!

[JEBMs]

It appears to me to be a spokeshave. Painshill has a fine write up on these at the bottom of the main page under lithic artifacts then go to other types. It looks like a really fine example

[DaveP]

Thnaks for the responses. I should have given more detail - apologies. The piece is 40mm long and bifacially worked to some degree along all edges. The left edge as you see in the picture has a longitudinal flake scar on this side but the other is retouched to bring the edge to the mid-line of the piece. In particular, the curved edge is bifacially worked. All sides have an edge centred on the main plane of the piece as you'd find on any other arrowhead. I'm not saying it isn't a spokeshave but it doesn't fit with Painshill's description of a unifacially worked edge.
Trust me, it has me a bit baffled. Picture of other side attached.

[Kyflintguy]

Very interesting find!
I recall these points being discussed here and I think your correct on your assessment on type.

https://forums.arrowheads.com/forum/general-discussion-gc5/international-non-north-american-artifacts-gc32/216962-long-tailed-oblique-arrowheads

It puts me in my mind of those very interesting Marden Henge examples. We had some hearty attempts by myself and other Knappers to recreate the style but geeze not an easy act to follow...
I can't think of any North American types that mix the oblique flaking and delicate nature and style of that particular type. That said I believe in a way the techniques behind Folsom manufacture would be along the same level of difficulty and experience level required to pull off a classic type example. Just something that when we look at now we scratch our heads in disbelief!

[DaveP]

Josh,
thanks very much for your reply - much appreciated . Before I posted I also discussed it with Dr. Torben Ballin, a well known lithics specialist over here who I often use. There's no doubt these are complex pieces made more difficult as it's difficult to visualise them in use.
While discussing this I came up with a modern day parallel. I'm not saying it works in the same way but it requires different thinking. I sea fish and use circle hooks for some species. Tie them with the wrong knot and they don't work. With the correct knot they are ideal. But, as you can see in the picture, the point appears to point in the wrong direction to be useful.

[Lindenmeier-Man]

I had to log on to comment . I’ve been watching utube videos of a Scandinavian arrowhead hunter . He picks up square arrowheads . I won’t go into detail about how they are halved but I will say that your piece reminds me of what he is finding. Perhaps it were halved the same way. The more I learn, the more questions arise ! JJ

[DaveP]

Thanks for directing me to the YT channel - some lovely finds. I haven't found the section on arrowheads but assume you are talking about petit-tranchet and transverse arrowheads? Until I got into lithics I didn't know they existed.
I went into a local museum that had a nice transverse arrowhead but had to tell them they had mocked it up in a haft the wrong way around.

[Tam]

I am by no means an expert . I have found 2 pieces like that in SW Georgia . The ones I found are obviously flakes or breaks off the basal notch and such fine work off of a piece I believe to be the corner notch of a Archaic piece .
Beautiful lithic red on color but a hint into the past of a knappers work .