heavyweight........

[SOHIO]

I rarely walk the cornfields to find arrowheads. Thats just too easy. I like to challenge myself, thats why I'm a heavyweight. Unspoiled, untilled ground has more complete artifacts, just have to work harder at it. Only downfall is that finds may be a little less frequent. I have dug spots for years that would yield an average of say 1 complete artifact for every 30 or 40 hours of digging. On the other hand I have dug spots that have stuff pouring out every trip. So if someone were to want to tag along with me....well I'm afraid they might be disappointed. I've been disappointed a bit myself the past couple of weeks. I have been digging the spot I found the banner pestle and a nice celt, thought I was in a hot spot but the flint is dwindling as I go. I think I left off though on the edge of the site, next time out I'll be reversing my direction, and I will probably do some test holes to see wherein the site actually lays. So if you'd like to hang with me on the hilltops over the raccoon better get your chainsaw ready ( I could carry it for you), prepare for disappointment, make sure you like it when your arms and legs feel like jello. You know cause this isn't like jumping rope or slapping around some bag. This is actual labor.

By the way if you read my previous post "best of the day" you might understand this post better.

 

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[creek astronaut]

Some good input there! I raised this question with a friend the other day and he didn't know for sure. From what you know about the indians, why are there not more mounds? Were those only for the top dogs? Did they bury the average indian without ceremony and different than the ones that were in mounds? Just curious. Another question for you...This lake site that I just found, how do you determine which type of site it is? I found a few heat-fractured rocks, quite a few chips, some points, scrapers and that game ball. It only takes up about a 20 yard square area for finds, is this a temporary or more permanent site? If this was a kill site, what would I see for finds?

in ohio for example there are or were thousands of documented mounds starting with the glacial kame culture in the late archaic period.not all dead were put in mounds,their are sites that have produced hundreds of burials that were not in mounds,these were mostly ft ancient culture. i dont think your average indian made it into a mound.You can determine the type of site it is by the types of artifacts you are finding,point types will give you a good idea.many sites are multi component sites meaning people camped there off and on for thousands of years and you will find artifacts from different time periods.If it was strictly a kill site(which wont be easy to determine)you will probably only find points of the same type, very little flint debitage and the points will probably be broken.A kill site probably wouldnt contain very many other artifacts,like scrapes,drills or hardstone tools.these are the type of artifacts you would find at a more permanent campsite.

 

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[SOHIO]

This reminds me of a site I used to dig. It was a pretty big site, I'm guessing 3 acres of main site where you could dig in and instantly find flint and tons of it. And maybe 30 acres that surrounded it with smaller what I like to call lookout sites, where there is little flint, but obviously they chipped a few out there while maybe standing watch over the area.These spots frequent on the thin ridges around main sites. I've seen this in a lot of places I have been (logging clearcuts) But on this site from one direction I would find spawls cores crude stuff and as you went toward the front there would be more finer debitage and points, and it honestly seemed as if everything got better towards the front of site. I always thought of this spot as a production area. I mean it almost seemed as if there was an assembly line going on there. I found just over 4000 stone tools and scapers there along with around 1000 brokes and 77 complete arrowheads. Then it grew over too much to dig but I dug it for three years or so had it pretty dug out. I would also find spots where they had debitage pits where more flint was pouring out than was dirt along with it. I would get hung up for a whole day sometimes sifting through those pits. Found a few points in them too and quite a few brokes. There was so much flint there I bet these indians were punching a clock every morning when they showed up. There was just so much flint that I am sure this was no campsite so what would you call a site like that? A factory?

 

[Wallhangers]

This reminds me of a site I used to dig. It was a pretty big site, I'm guessing 3 acres of main site where you could dig in and instantly find flint and tons of it. And maybe 30 acres that surrounded it with smaller what I like to call lookout sites, where there is little flint, but obviously they chipped a few out there while maybe standing watch over the area.These spots frequent on the thin ridges around main sites. I've seen this in a lot of places I have been (logging clearcuts) But on this site from one direction I would find spawls cores crude stuff and as you went toward the front there would be more finer debitage and points, and it honestly seemed as if everything got better towards the front of site. I always thought of this spot as a production area. I mean it almost seemed as if there was an assembly line going on there. I found just over 4000 stone tools and scapers there along with around 1000 brokes and 77 complete arrowheads. Then it grew over too much to dig but I dug it for three years or so had it pretty dug out. I would also find spots where they had debitage pits where more flint was pouring out than was dirt along with it. I would get hung up for a whole day sometimes sifting through those pits. Found a few points in them too and quite a few brokes. There was so much flint there I bet these indians were punching a clock every morning when they showed up. There was just so much flint that I am sure this was no campsite so what would you call a site like that? A factory?

I could handle finding a factory like that! I found a larger point there this morning but it is slim pickings until they plow and plant soon. Thanks

 

[Wallhangers]

in ohio for example there are or were thousands of documented mounds starting with the glacial kame culture in the late archaic period.not all dead were put in mounds,their are sites that have produced hundreds of burials that were not in mounds,these were mostly ft ancient culture. i dont think your average indian made it into a mound.You can determine the type of site it is by the types of artifacts you are finding,point types will give you a good idea.many sites are multi component sites meaning people camped there off and on for thousands of years and you will find artifacts from different time periods.If it was strictly a kill site(which wont be easy to determine)you will probably only find points of the same type, very little flint debitage and the points will probably be broken.A kill site probably wouldnt contain very many other artifacts,like scrapes,drills or hardstone tools.these are the type of artifacts you would find at a more permanent campsite.

Thanks for your input and answering my questions, hopefully this is a more permanent site that will keep producing more finds, picked up a pretty good one there this morning.

 

[creek astronaut]

This reminds me of a site I used to dig. It was a pretty big site, I'm guessing 3 acres of main site where you could dig in and instantly find flint and tons of it. And maybe 30 acres that surrounded it with smaller what I like to call lookout sites, where there is little flint, but obviously they chipped a few out there while maybe standing watch over the area.These spots frequent on the thin ridges around main sites. I've seen this in a lot of places I have been (logging clearcuts) But on this site from one direction I would find spawls cores crude stuff and as you went toward the front there would be more finer debitage and points, and it honestly seemed as if everything got better towards the front of site. I always thought of this spot as a production area. I mean it almost seemed as if there was an assembly line going on there. I found just over 4000 stone tools and scapers there along with around 1000 brokes and 77 complete arrowheads. Then it grew over too much to dig but I dug it for three years or so had it pretty dug out. I would also find spots where they had debitage pits where more flint was pouring out than was dirt along with it. I would get hung up for a whole day sometimes sifting through those pits. Found a few points in them too and quite a few brokes. There was so much flint there I bet these indians were punching a clock every morning when they showed up. There was just so much flint that I am sure this was no campsite so what would you call a site like that? A factory?

sounds like a killer spot,thats what id call it.lol.it was definately a large workshop,from what you have described.depends on the types of artifacts you found?could have been a village setting there if you were finding mostly woodland period material.but if you found material from all time periods then its a good chance that this was a favorite place to camp for a long time.

 

[SOHIO]

sounds like a killer spot,thats what id call it.lol.it was definately a large workshop,from what you have described.depends on the types of artifacts you found?could have been a village setting there if you were finding mostly woodland period material.but if you found material from all time periods then its a good chance that this was a favorite place to camp for a long time.

I found mostly adena there but there was also some late archaic pcs in there that whole site is in a lttle roadside museum or supposed to be i haven't seen it but i did pull into the parking lot of the "museum" last summer it was on a sunday they were closed but it did seem the fella still had it going on from what i could tell from the window. I gave him the collection about 12 years ago. just never made it back up that way except when they were closed last summer. Its along the highway towards marietta from athens. He has a greenhouse business there.

 

[SOHIO]

Also something kinda neat about that site is that I sent some points and tools to my wifes father in japan which I just think is weird that 2000 years or more ago and indian makes a point I dig it up hundreds of years later send it halfway around the world. Wonder where it will end up 2000 more years from now . lol

 

[Jonzer]

I walk corn fields.
I'm new to digging. Haven't found anything yet in the few digs I've been on.
Having said that, I'm still hooked. Stoked on what everyone else finds.
I know I'll have my day.