Todays finds 03/21/2021 - largest axe I have found in a while

[dognose]

Rolled out to the field after talking to the property owner. i have been letting this field sit for a few months while I hunted other areas and the furrows got beat down by the weather. In the past i have hunted the other section of this field, found a number of points. The best rise now a horse pasture. I walked the rise and 15 minutes later found the axe. On the east facing side of the furrow, most of the ax was hidden from view.




A closer view


Made of slate, this is a large ax, good heft





A nicely made side notch




The days take after washing them off at the rain barrell.



This as is a handful, its amazing it has not been busted in half from the farm implements. The bit has a few dings as does the poll area.



Some light plow strike an scuffs. Shows some banged up area on the poll



A good profile





5 LBS 9.5 OZ, 8 inches from poll to bit x 5 inches wide by the groove. I was in the field for almost exactly 4 hours.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Upgraded Night Vision Monocular Digital Infrared Monocular Telescope for 100% Darkness with 8X Zoom - Grab it through Amazon!

[Kantuckkeean]

Great find and post!

So with what you've said in mind, do you (dognose) or does anyone else here know if slate fell out of favor as a preferred material for axes? The one that you found the other day is a full groove slate axe, as is at least one of the others pictured in post #20, and the only axe that we've found was a full groove slate. As I understand it, full groove axes were only used for a short period and were quickly replaced by the improved 1/2 or 3/4 groove design which allowed wedges to be hammered in between the axe and handle to keep the axe tight. Was slate also largely replaced by more durable material over time?

So to answer the question, I guess one would need to examine a large sample of axes to determine if the percentage of slate axes in the full groove population is higher than the percentage of slate axes in the 3/4 and 1/2 populations.

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

DR.ÖTEK Metal Detector, Waterproof Gold Detector, Pinpoint & Terrain Modes, Professional Metal Detector - Grab it through Amazon!

[dognose]

Kantuck that is an interesting question. I have taken a quick look at the axes in my room, which are not all of mine. And counted 38 axes total. Of these four are made of slate and all of these are full grooved

Thinking of the others, and a quick review of my catalog I find one additional full groove slate axe. I have found no other than full groove axes made of slate.

So it is possible over time slate fell out of favor and more axes tended to be made of other hardstone material. I have found a number of broken and complete celts made of slate, but again the number is not as high as those made of hardstone. And again the broken out number the complete undamaged.

It could be a factor of material availability. Since most of the slate relics are made of glacial slate, in areas not impacted by glaciation, the availability of slate would be lower and this may be evident in lower or non-existent slate relics as well.

Maybe? I don't recall finding any slate objects when I lived in and relic hunted in Missouri back in the 70s. But they may have been found by others.

 

[Kantuckkeean]

Great information. Thank you. I hadn’t even considered the regional distribution of glaciated slate as a factor.

Kindest regards,
Kantuck