dtcmor
freely admits to licking rocks
Back to lickin' rocks again!
Member since May 2006
Posts: 898
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Post by dtcmor on Jun 14, 2011 1:34:06 GMT -5
My son Christian and I just got back from a trip to the Flint Ridge area and Nethers Farm and a day of digging for flint down near Newark, Oh. Christian, who is 8yrs old, and was really bored after a couple hours of hard digging, just happened to be messing around with the rock hammer in the dirt wall of the pit we were working in and stumbled upon two ancient hammerstones, which is common because most of the available digging sites coincide near where the ancients dug their own flint thousands of years ago. We poked around a bit more in the same spot and out popped a huge cache blade from the mud. The blade measures about 7"L x 5"W x 1 3/4"T. It matches some of the same type of creamy/white flint that we were finding in the pit, but it has a heavy patina coating and the color of the flint is heavily stained with age also. We looked for others but this was the only one we found. It was suspended in a layer of dirt about 3' below the top ground surface but about 2' above the main deposite of flint we were working on so I know it must have been a piece that the ancient people had worked. A really awesome suprise to find! Here are some quick pictures - sorry they are so dark - I had to shoot them inside... Thanks for looking! Dave
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Post by tanyafrench on Jun 14, 2011 8:22:15 GMT -5
Mrs Nethers is wonderful and it's a treat going to her farm and collecting you own flint. Your son had the right idea of looking for other treasures. Keep him around when rocking and you never know what you might find. I love going there!
Tanya
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dtcmor
freely admits to licking rocks
Back to lickin' rocks again!
Member since May 2006
Posts: 898
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Post by dtcmor on Jun 14, 2011 14:43:52 GMT -5
Tanya - you know, I never really gave a thought about finding artifacts until we found these towards the end of our dig. There is so much stone there to sort through for knapping and cabbing that it never crossed my mind. The next time we go I am going to pay more attention to artifacts also so I can add some more pieces to my ancients collection!
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,681
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Post by Fossilman on Jun 14, 2011 17:43:29 GMT -5
Super cool huh!!!!
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Post by Woodyrock on Jun 15, 2011 0:23:45 GMT -5
Years back, I got a box of Flint ridge at a sale, and there was an ancient biface in it. You just never know what you might dig up, eh! BTW, you found what is called a biface i.e. a partially worked piece that makes carrying it easier that rough rock. A blade core is way different, and not common in North America. Google it. Woody
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Post by paulshiroma on Jun 15, 2011 9:02:26 GMT -5
Dave, thank for sharing; I imagine your son was really enthu'sed about his find. That's really cool. My boys are eight and four and peter out when they're not finding anything ... until they unearth something eye-catching and then their second wind comes. Congrats to Christian, and you, on this find!
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dtcmor
freely admits to licking rocks
Back to lickin' rocks again!
Member since May 2006
Posts: 898
|
Post by dtcmor on Jun 15, 2011 10:38:29 GMT -5
Woody - you are right about the biface - I got my terms mixed up - a blade core is the chunk thats left after they would strike the blades from a larger stone, which to me is an art form in itself. It takes alot of skill to get as many usable pieces out of one large stone!
Paulshiroma - Christian seems to have a knack for finding the artifacts - on more than one occasion he has brought me hammerstones that he has found when we go rockhounding at our favorite local spots.
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Gem'n I
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2008
Posts: 980
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Post by Gem'n I on Jun 15, 2011 21:34:06 GMT -5
Great finds...you must know why kids are better "finders"....their eyes are closer to the ground....
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Post by mohs on Jun 16, 2011 10:39:26 GMT -5
thanks for posting that interesting read and fine discovery! Ed
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jun 16, 2011 11:00:05 GMT -5
Congrats! I never would have recognized any of those for what they are.
Chuck
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