core stone

[unclemac]

I always figured this was a core stone....awfully big and unwieldy for a chopper of some sort but does have a good shape. It looks the world like an over-sized hafted scraper that I have seen a number of times from the desert.

 

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[Tnmountains]

Quarry blank. They preformed them and tested the material and if they liked took them home. Took them seconds to reduce it to carry. They could read a stone just by reducing it.
Nice find.

 

[NC field hunter]

Doesn't look like a blank to me. Looks like a blade, and a big one at that! Nice find

 

[Tnmountains]

Doesn't look like a blank to me. Looks like a blade, and a big one at that! Nice find

If that was the case than any large rock with and edge would be a blade. Does not look like a blade (to me). Who can say as it was obviously chunked and never reduced any further.. But it has been worked.

 

[NC field hunter]

If that was the case than any large rock with and edge would be a blade. Does not look like a blade (to me). Who can say as it was obviously chunked and never reduced any further.. But it has been worked.

To my understanding, a blank had no sides that could cut puncture on and on . I may be wrong, but looks like that could cut.

 

[Tnmountains]

Sometimes a blank is just a material reduced down to see if it is worth working. It can have natural edges which may be sharp. I Hunt a site that every stone was worked but very few ended up as anything. They even put edges on limestone. A unifaced blade that has secondary flaking on the edge would be a blade. Just because they worked it does not always mean it is something. It may have been on its way to becoming a blade we will never know. I do know they could knock off a few flakes off a boulder sized stone and tell the stone was not worth the effort sometimes This does not make it a tool. They could tell by hardness/ softness step fractures inclusions . They did this almost every day of their life and could turn out a crude tool pretty quick and a nice high grave knife in 30 minutes.
Good celts and polished items were labors of love and took a lot of time. Some materials from across the country work faster than others also. If material was abundant they would just start over if material was scarce you see them reshapening the tool to exhaustion. They did not drop and loose good stuff very often. Just like you do not loose your money. Most stuff I find was sub standard but still nice to me. Of course grave goods get washed out and dispersed and sometimes you find that killer item. Just my opinion I have hunted sites for almost 40 years and found my first stuff when I was around 6.
I like different opinions cause it makes us think and i learn a lot from the members here. I hunt with some archeologist but a lot of members here are much more knowledgable cause they are self taught and enjoy what they learn and research. I know my area well and focus just on it but some tools and forms are universal.

 

[natchitoches]

great post tnmountains
i could not had said it any better.
i am not good with words. and sometimes it hard to tell other what you know.
i did not do well in school. i am one of them self taught persons.
i have been hunting artifacts for 45 years ,started at age 11.
i am 56 now. the last 35 years i did it as a liveing,(have not worked a job in 35 years)
i sold most of my good stuff. i had too.
i sold coins on ebay too. and even sold bones i found to this art guy i know.
thats how i got to do what i wanted to.and got to learn so much.
last 14 years i done work in the lapidary feild. makeing cabochons, and other Polish Rocks

 

[GatorBoy]

Just wanted to add... if the material is decent almost every flake knocked off leaves a sharp edge.

 

[11KBP]

I always figured this was a core stone....awfully big and unwieldy for a chopper
of some sort but does have a good shape. It looks the world like an over-sized
hafted scraper that I have seen a number of times from the desert.

I agree unclemac, I would refer to it as a bifacial core or quarry blank as TnMountains
took the time to explain.

11KBP

 

[NC field hunter]

Sometimes a blank is just a material reduced down to see if it is worth working. It can have natural edges which may be sharp. I Hunt a site that every stone was worked but very few ended up as anything. They even put edges on limestone. A unifaced blade that has secondary flaking on the edge would be a blade. Just because they worked it does not always mean it is something. It may have been on its way to becoming a blade we will never know. I do know they could knock off a few flakes off a boulder sized stone and tell the stone was not worth the effort sometimes This does not make it a tool. They could tell by hardness/ softness step fractures inclusions . They did this almost every day of their life and could turn out a crude tool pretty quick and a nice high grave knife in 30 minutes.
Good celts and polished items were labors of love and took a lot of time. Some materials from across the country work faster than others also. If material was abundant they would just start over if material was scarce you see them reshapening the tool to exhaustion. They did not drop and loose good stuff very often. Just like you do not loose your money. Most stuff I find was sub standard but still nice to me. Of course grave goods get washed out and dispersed and sometimes you find that killer item. Just my opinion I have hunted sites for almost 40 years and found my first stuff when I was around 6.
I like different opinions cause it makes us think and i learn a lot from the members here. I hunt with some archeologist but a lot of members here are much more knowledgable cause they are self taught and enjoy what they learn and research. I know my area well and focus just on it but some tools and forms are universal.

Thanks for the insight! I too know an archy. They can be pretty bizarre to hunt with. He brings the works when he hunts, spade, paint brushes, you name it. He will spend 30 min. Dusting off an item, and just up and walk away. Not say one word. Better not ask why he walked, or your in for a 2 hour lecture. I think he has caused me bad habits .

 

[NC field hunter]

This is what I've thought to be a blank. Big flakes taken and no working edge. Too me it makes sense for a blank to have no sharp edged. They traveled with who knows how many of these things. Looks like it would reduce injury on the travel. But...... I'll take yalls word for it. I'm way out numbered, majority rule. Thanks again guys! Y'all keep giving me this knowledge, I'm go be learnt up reel gud!!Lol

 

[centfladigger]

blanks are not made naturally to be blanks, most are are produced from spall reduction, you are working a bigger piece of rock down to a more managable piece. Each one of those "ridges" or "waves" on the edge of his piece he is showing is made from reduction, it ia also setting up a platform for the next spall to some off. If this was a paleo spall, then it would be worked down raw, if not then it needs more reduction to be cooked through. That piece can be reduced down to a cracker thin preform that will be ready for secondary flaking. I am not a knapper but have been selling my coral for over 10 years to knappers and I do spall and cook and I can drive uniform plates off of a good head just by setting up my platforms on the host rock....

This may sound silly to some out there but if you can find a knap-in in your area I would go, not to watch the FOG knappers and slabknappers but one who knows his business. You watch the guy for awhile and if he is true to his point types, not all are super thin, then you start to see a pattern in the flakes that come off of that particular point type and when you find them inthe field , right away you will know what stage flake it is etc.

 

[NC field hunter]

blanks are not made naturally to be blanks, most are are produced from spall reduction, you are working a bigger piece of rock down to a more managable piece. Each one of those "ridges" or "waves" on the edge of his piece he is showing is made from reduction, it ia also setting up a platform for the next spall to some off. If this was a paleo spall, then it would be worked down raw, if not then it needs more reduction to be cooked through. That piece can be reduced down to a cracker thin preform that will be ready for secondary flaking. I am not a knapper but have been selling my coral for over 10 years to knappers and I do spall and cook and I can drive uniform plates off of a good head just by setting up my platforms on the host rock....

This may sound silly to some out there but if you can find a knap-in in your area I would go, not to watch the FOG knappers and slabknappers but one who knows his business. You watch the guy for awhile and if he is true to his point types, not all are super thin, then you start to see a pattern in the flakes that come off of that particular point type and when you find them inthe field , right away you will know what stage flake it is etc.

This may make me sound super dumb, but I'm used to it, so here it is!! Is that coral live, or just why is he watering it? I know nothing about coral.

 

[natchitoches]

you wet it to make the color pop, to show its ture colors like it would look if it was cab. and Polish.
or flake into a point.

 

[GatorBoy]

Its fossil coral. ( agatized) in most cases. Miocene erra it makes in my opinion the most beautiful points. Heat treating brings out super color also. This point is coral. One of my faves

 

[NC field hunter]

Ok, so that who ever is interested can see its true color right?

 

[natchitoches]

yep

 

[theonlinefisherman]

Centfl!!!

Hit me at garypoyssick@mac.com

I want some of that coral.

Sent from my iPad using TreasureNet

 

[centfladigger]

This may make me sound super dumb, but I'm used to it, so here it is!! Is that coral live, or just why is he watering it? I know nothing about coral.

that wasnt a dumb question, it isnt your rock from your area so you only would know what you see or hear about it. My son is washing the clay of of our latest haul at that time, Where I was digging this is deep down, about 10 ft below ground, creek bed, and it and the compressed algea are all laying ina a layer of Florida blue clay, so we have to wash and let it dry and wash and let it dry.
That picture was taken about 4 years ago and that pile is almost gone, too many knap-ins and too many Flat Rate boex will do it to a pile of candy coral.

here are a few cabs I have made from my rock, these are all raw and uncooked, to show you some polyps

 

[NC field hunter]

that wasnt a dumb question, it isnt your rock from your area so you only would know what you see or hear about it. My son is washing the clay of of our latest haul at that time, Where I was digging this is deep down, about 10 ft below ground, creek bed, and it and the compressed algea are all laying ina a layer of Florida blue clay, so we have to wash and let it dry and wash and let it dry.
That picture was taken about 4 years ago and that pile is almost gone, too many knap-ins and too many Flat Rate boex will do it to a pile of candy coral.

here are a few cabs I have made from my rock, these are all raw and uncooked, to show you some polyps

Thanks man!! Yes, it's not my native lithic. Cool stuff!!