Basalt Knife

[Out Of Time]

Creek find. Napa, CA

This is an interesting artifact.

Rare to find basalt when obsidian is the dominant material in the area.

My hunch is it's very old.

 

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[Buckleberry]

Interesting knife!

 

[Tony in SC]

Noce piece, kinda odd!

 

[Tdog]

It has features of a backed knife.

 

[Out Of Time]

'Backed knife' isn't a term I've heard used about western artifacts, but I know they use it back east. I do think this piece fits the description.

I think basalt is relatively hard to work so not surprising if pieces are somewhat crude.

I do have one basalt biface that's pretty well made though.

Still haven't found enough to understand it well.

 

[gilmerman]

This was an important tool for a man's ability to process items for his comfort and food. It's a worthy artifact, wish I knew the man who made it.

 

[unclemac]

fine grain basalt is not an uncommon lithic type where available...it flakes to a wicked sharp edge.

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

Sure enough, it looks like one, all right!
Nice Find!
Knives were often a softer material, and easier to re-sharpen -
as these tools received a-lot-of-use...!

 

[Tdog]

'Backed knife' isn't a term I've heard used about western artifacts, but I know they use it back east. I do think this piece fits the description.

I think basalt is relatively hard to work so not surprising if pieces are somewhat crude.

I do have one basalt biface that's pretty well made though.

Still haven't found enough to understand it well.

I Googled "flint backed knife" and got these images...

https://www.google.com/search?q=fli...4Aw&bih=937&biw=1920&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS858US858

 

[Missouri Breaks]

I’m trying to figure out if that might be the more dense less glassy type of obsidian with the luster and the way the texture looks. I’m familiar with the basalt tools in nor cal and can see that it looks like he darker less iron inclusion type basalt but wow, nice find. That cutting edge has very pronounced serrations which is hard to pull off with the chippy rough type of basalt. Could it be a chert??

 

[unclemac]

look up "dacite" or "black Jasper"... there is more than obsidian