Weird ones...

[tomf]

I'm interested quirky points, I think they have stories to tell.

Are the quirks purposeful or evidence of substandard workmanship?

Perhaps the first efforts of a child?

Here's one that has had me scratching my head. Again another creek find from Napa County.

It's very worn but I think it's more than a preform.

Notice how it's weighted forward, distinctly thicker at the distill end.

Is it just a badly made point or is meant to serve another function, perhaps a hammer type tool? (obviously Obsidian is not ideal for hammering as it would shatter on pretty much anything except maybe a human head).


Would love to see some ugly ducklings from others collections....

[tomclark]

I'm interested quirky points, I think they have stories to tell.

Are the quirks purposeful or evidence of substandard workmanship?

Perhaps the first efforts of a child?

All of the above. That one is so worn and the tip was damaged...so it wore away even more than the rest. Neat biface I think it was just about perfect and sharp when new.

[tomf]

Thanks for you comment, Tom.

Shaping of the point is just odd. I'm not sure it's broken at all. More snub-nosed and distinctly rounded. It's hard to see from the pics but there is a strong bias in the shape that favours the tip.
Also a bizarre little crook that dips the nose (that might make you reject this in preform rather than knapp it).
Yet I think it was knapped to a finish before losing much to wear.

[SurfaceHunter]

Even water worn it’s a nice big piece.

[Kaz]

Couple of well made but not perfectly designed points

[tomf]

That type of quartz must be very hard to work.

A lot of them seem to have 'loose' shape.

Still cute, though.

[SurfaceHunter]

Don’t know the type but I’ve found 2 in different places about 2 miles away from each other. Looks to be made from the same type of flint. Maybe the same person idk, north Georgia

[redrocks]

Those are cool Glen nice color

[SurfaceHunter]

Maybe you can shed some light on the next one I’m going to post

[SurfaceHunter]

Your pm still isn’t working Red says you have exceeded your limit

[SDhunter]

Not ugly to me!

[tomf]

[SurfaceHunter]

Flake knife

[Emaner377]

A couple of odd shaped ones here

[redrocks]

Ya cool ..same guy made em

[tomf]

This is the first lithic I ever found.

It's not so much weird as wonderful.

It does have a bizarre 'eye with lashes' that qualifies for this thread.

I think it's natural in the material and not 'made' but not 100% sure.

Anybody seen something like that before?

[SurfaceHunter]

Looks like a worn blade to me but I don’t see an eye just an inclusion

[SurfaceHunter]

You find a lot of nice things mostly water worn that tells me they have probably traveled many miles before you found them. Ever google earthed your creek to see how far it goes?

[tomf]

You have to use your imagination to see the eye, but when you do, you are struck by the cluster of 4 or 5 little nicks above it that look like eye lashes.

It's definitely an inclusion though.

I do find a lot of worn stuff in the creek but I also find pieces that look brand new.

As it happens, we are less than 5 miles from the source of the creek, which might be better named an arroyo as we are California and it's a seasonal creek.

Fierce and fast flowing in winter and spring, but all but dry by fall.

Evidence suggests, and old timers say they remember, when it ran all year.

Excessive planting of vineyards and a changing climate seems to have had it's effect.

So the things that I find can't have travelled very far.


I have wondered about the action of the water on artifacts but have failed to come to any real conclusions.

No doubt the water has the power to move things- it re-arranges it's beaches every season - but not everything moves at the same time and same rate.

It's easy to imagine smaller, lighter, objects swirling around in the flow and moving considerable distances before settling gently in a new location.

Larger objects, it's seems to me, are far more likely to be damaged by that kind action - especially a brittle material like obsidian.



If that theory is true, it leads me to several conclusions;

Larger and more water-worn objects have more likely been uncovered than moved. This may be born out by the fact that most of those finds have been partially buried when discovered.

Large and small items, that are shiny and new looking, I believe have been introduced to the creek far more recently, most likely washed from surrounding fields and banks.

It's tempting to think the more water-worn an object is, the older it might be. Maybe that's true but only typing could confirm it.

Meanwhile there are exceptions to every rule.


I'd love to know what conclusions others have come to about hydrology and lithics.

Scientist have probably figured it all out but they didn't tell me.



Here's a larger piece that's shiny and except for a ding on the point, undamaged. I don't think it's been in the creek for hundreds of years but that's where I found it.

[SurfaceHunter]

Has a lot to do with the sand and flow. Obsidian is a type of glass like substance and sand and water flow affects it would be my guess.

[Emaner377]

Redrocks
I'll have to take a pic of a few points I've found that I think we're all knapped by the same NA

[SurfaceHunter]

This one looks like a point or knife but has a tiny nipple like tip to small for a drill but left on for some reason. Also has a stack towards the base left on I guess for a hand grip. North Georgia personal find

[redrocks]

Nice blade Glen...that tip is really peculiar. That almost looks like a little adze

[SurfaceHunter]

It is a uni faced piece. Someone told me Celt on it but I’ve never seen one made from flint I just figured knife of some kind. But the spur throws me a off as to the use it’s dull not sharp.

[redrocks]

I remember a thread on here about "killer tips". I think Tom put it on. I'll try to find it.... I think There's a name for that tip

[redrocks]

Ok ...the thread on killer tips is. On here ... this. Native American arrowheads and other lithics artifacts. Page 1 8 . Check it out

[Emaner377]

I found these big chunkers..probably just rocks..maybe preforms?

[SurfaceHunter]

Quartz is hard to work lots of mistakes and lots of worked pieces due to inclusions and fractures in the stone so you are bound to find plenty of discarded pieces

[redrocks]

Agree with Glen