Im not sure what this is, knife/spear?

[bmartin0693]

I'm not sure what this is, knife/spear?

This was found in NC. It measures approx 2-7/8" long by 1-1/2" wide and it's of made rhyolite. It looks like it was stemmed, maybe. Could this have been a knife or a spear? I'm not real sure what to call it yet. Any ideas?

 

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[rock]

At the angle of the notches I am calling knife. I have one in my avatar I found last yr. The way I am holding it by design is a knife. Plenty big enough to be a spear point though. Its 4 by 2.5 inches and has a stem on it.

 

[NC field hunter]

It's a knife. You can see where they resharpened it. Are you sure it's rhyolite?

 

[bmartin0693]

I was betting it was used as a knife, but some people were callin it a spear, maybe b/c of the stem. I'm sure it's rhyolite though, with crystal inclusions. That is one detail to look for in rhyolite, if crystals are usually present. I have a few different examples also. I dunno the real term for it but since there's so many different types of rhyolite, I think of this as the blue rhyolite.

 

[rock]

Ill show you the one I have. Its rather crude from age and the type of stone they used. Its the only one I have ever found and thought it was a geofact till I noticed the wavy flaking on the one side of it. Might not show up in the pics but it is there. I think it is made from black quartzite but IDK for sure. Wet and dry pic. Yours might of had the same stem.

 

[bmartin0693]

Yea I see it. Its not a geofact for sure. IMO, it looks like a form of banded rhyolite b/c black quartzite would be finely grained. I think that stuff is really hard to work, so that might be why it looks so crude or incomplete.

 

[rock]

Yeah I dont find too much of it. I did find another artifact or two in the last yr. Ill show you another oddity. This one IDK what it is.
I found one last week that looks like a small adze but doesnt have a finished edge on it. I dont know why they tried to use this type of rock.

 

[bsit1361]

Definitely rhyolite.

 

[bmartin0693]

Here's a speckled rhyolite knife. It's a lil shorter than 2-7/8". When I found it, it was the dirty red-brown color, so I rinsed it with warm water and rubbed it off w/ my fingers. The speckled is an easier material to work than the banded, I think or they can be the about same. I'm not sure what kind of material you have shown, but it looks like it has a good patina coating.

 

[rock]

@ bmartin Seems like you have a large collection. How long have you been collecting?

 

[bmartin0693]

I've been collecting since I was young. I'm 28 now so I'm thinking in between 15-20 years worth of collecting. Started off picking up anything that looks different and I never tried to pick up the same type of rock twice. As I got older, I started looking at how rocks break, fracture and some creating a smooth cleavage plane. That's kinda what I look for today. I have stuff in my collection that I now I'm older, I can ID it as an artifact. I've been gem mining about 3 times and I enjoy going to the beach. I've found 3 full arrowheads at the beach. About any where I go in NC/SC, the good Lord manages to leave something for me to pick up.

 

[eagleeye]

do u guys think this could be a knife, its 4 inches long, it does not strike me as a projectile but is surely man made , i almost left it in the desert been collecting 2 days strong

 

[bmartin0693]

It looks really old to me and possibly man made. Can't tell ya more sorry. I find really wore out or scraper-size pieces too and I just know it was something.

 

[bmartin0693]

Here's pictures of some Morrow Mtns. I think this is what I may have here.

 

[rock]

My take on your point is Kirk or archaic knife. I have a knife found with a MM that looks like yours. Ill show it for you.

 

[bmartin0693]

Looks like mine, except most of my stem is missing.

 

[rock]

Looks like mine, except most of my stem is missing.

Yeah I found it with a MM made by the same person. Some call that a Cashe. I think I spelled it rite.