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I am in SW Missouri (Lawrence County), and I have posted a few items here in the past. I have been walking our deer plot this spring (plowed last year) and I seem to find a lot of what may be rough debitage, and a few pieces with some work. I find it really interesting.
There is lots and lots of chert that is simply plow-broken, or weather-broken, or time-broken. I'm hoping that some of you can chime in and tell me whether its likely that I'm seeing what I think I'm seeing: an area where flint may have been preliminarily broken down, with the good pieces maybe carried away for further work elsewhere. I have so far not found anything finished in here, the few pieces I have posted in the past are from other little areas of our land. So I'm going to post a little series of pics, try to get you all to put yourselves in my place and see what you think.
OK, this is a view of part of the deer plot. Looking at it makes me remember one of the geologic soil descriptions we read when we were buying the place: extremely cobbly silt loam is what it said. Yup, definitely cobbly!
A closer pic of a smallish cobble with boot for scale, just to show what's typical.
A newly weather-split rock with the thick "rind" area and more cherty-flinty area showing. I pulled this one out today and washed it off a bit.
A random group of debitage/very slightly worked looking stuff that I've pulled out of this plot over a couple of walks. For size reference the wood is a telephone pole. Many similar pieces not pulled out. Lots of pieces that seem to have a platform that the knapper may have used to strike.
A couple of items that do show clear evidence of work. One seems to be kind of a roughed-out shape with no edge work and then breakage (sorry no edge shot but it does have a proper biconvex cross section), and the other seems to show some quick serration work.
I'm really enjoying looking at all this stuff and thinking about the people doing some prelim work here, and making a few quick tools as needed.
After walking this plot and the intermittent creeks/draws a few times this spring, I have the following tune stuck in my head which those of you around in the 1970s may appreciate: "Everything is de...bitage....in its own way, hey hey."
Interested in what you all think...I know they're not shiny like other folks' toys!
There is lots and lots of chert that is simply plow-broken, or weather-broken, or time-broken. I'm hoping that some of you can chime in and tell me whether its likely that I'm seeing what I think I'm seeing: an area where flint may have been preliminarily broken down, with the good pieces maybe carried away for further work elsewhere. I have so far not found anything finished in here, the few pieces I have posted in the past are from other little areas of our land. So I'm going to post a little series of pics, try to get you all to put yourselves in my place and see what you think.
OK, this is a view of part of the deer plot. Looking at it makes me remember one of the geologic soil descriptions we read when we were buying the place: extremely cobbly silt loam is what it said. Yup, definitely cobbly!
A closer pic of a smallish cobble with boot for scale, just to show what's typical.
A newly weather-split rock with the thick "rind" area and more cherty-flinty area showing. I pulled this one out today and washed it off a bit.
A random group of debitage/very slightly worked looking stuff that I've pulled out of this plot over a couple of walks. For size reference the wood is a telephone pole. Many similar pieces not pulled out. Lots of pieces that seem to have a platform that the knapper may have used to strike.
A couple of items that do show clear evidence of work. One seems to be kind of a roughed-out shape with no edge work and then breakage (sorry no edge shot but it does have a proper biconvex cross section), and the other seems to show some quick serration work.
I'm really enjoying looking at all this stuff and thinking about the people doing some prelim work here, and making a few quick tools as needed.
After walking this plot and the intermittent creeks/draws a few times this spring, I have the following tune stuck in my head which those of you around in the 1970s may appreciate: "Everything is de...bitage....in its own way, hey hey."
Interested in what you all think...I know they're not shiny like other folks' toys!
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