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Museum Page
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This page contains a choice display of ancient Native American Indian
artifacts, relics, arrowheads and stone age tools from all over the United
States as well as many articles related to the Native American Indians'
way of life. We hope you find the articles interesting and informative. We
also offer a wide-range of Ancient Native American Indian artifacts and
arrowheads for sale.
For the oldest
of the old Indian artifacts, relics and arrowheads, please visit our Paleo Pages by
clicking on the Paleo link on the left.
Our Archaic Page
also has some outstanding ancient arrowheads and relics dating back as far
as 9000 years ago.
Please let us
know if you have anything of educational interest to share with others on
this page.
For more ancient
Native American Indian artifacts, relics and arrowheads, you can visit our
friends by clicking on their links at the bottom of our home page.
And now... onto
the museum...
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| Facts
about Indian Arrowheads and other Native American Indian relics and
artifacts: |
| Each and
every arrowhead has a "type" name, according to the type or category it falls
into. Arrowhead "type-names" are usually, but not always, assigned from
the location where the very first type was discovered. (For instance,
"Clovis" from Clovis, New Mexico... Cumberland, named after
the Cumberland River in Tennessee, Folsom from Folsom, New Mexico and
so on.) If another new "type" of arrowhead was found, but the name of
the nearest city was already "taken" by a former type, the
archaeologists would then use the name of another land "feature" in the same
general area. Some of these features could be: the name of a nearby
river, creek or other body of water, the name of a nearby mountain, etc.
Two good examples of the usage of this alternate naming convention would
be the "Lost Lake" arrowhead type and the "Snake River" arrowhead type. |
|
Arrowhead "types" are identified first by the shape of their base, but
other factors play a role in "typing an arrowhead" as well. Other
factors are, the overall shape of the arrowhead, the flaking style,
whether or not the arrowhead is fluted, the material it's made from, etc. |
|
Arrowheads, knives and most other stone implements became dull with
usage over time and were anciently re-sharpened by their owners, which
not only reduced the size of the artifact, but also altered it's shape. |
| Often,
but not always, one can tell where an arrowhead originated from by the
stone material it is made from; certain materials are ONLY found in
certain regions. A good example is Monterey chert, which is a lithic
found only in California or Coshocton flint, which is an Ohio lithic. |
| Native
American Indians were great "recyclers" of stone implements, wasting
nothing of the precious lithic material which often was quarried from as
far away as 200 miles from their normal habitat... Arrowheads which
became mis-shaped through breakage or re-sharpening were often adopted as a
completely different tool, such as a knife or a drill. |
|
Sometimes older cultures' stone implements were found and re-shaped or
re-cycled for use by later cultures. |
| The
CLOVIS point type is the oldest point type and enjoyed a reign of 2000
years before other "arrowhead" types were introduced through
an "evolution" of the native Amerinds' technology...(See the
"Clovis" article below, as well as the Caveat added in 2007) |
|
"Notches" in arrowheads didn't appear until the Archaic time
period. These were introduced as a better and more expedient method of
hafting (attaching, binding) the points to a wooden shaft. |
| In
addition to animal sinew or plant fiber bindings, asphaltum or pine tree
pitch was added as a form of glue, in order to further strengthen the
joining of the arrowhead or knife to it's wooden or bone shaft
/ handle. |
| Larger
"arrowheads" were not arrowheads at all, but were either lance heads or
knife blades. (Sometimes both, a dual-purpose tool) |
| During
the oldest time eras (Paleo and early Archaic) the sides and bases of
arrowheads were ground smooth in order to dull the edges so that they
would not cut through the material used to bind the stone to it's wooden
or bone shaft. |
A nice
Pelican
from Texas:
| This point
dates back to the Transitional Paleo time era, which ran from 10,000 years ago
to 6,000 BC. Many of the pelican points display the paleo characteristics of
"fluting" (described below in the clovis section) as well as basal
grinding, and are considered by some to be "related" to the "San Patrice"
point-type. |
A
"Mammoth Killer" Western
Clovis from California:
|
A SPECIAL NOTE about the
article below: In the interest of accurate scientific reporting, the
following article was written prior to 2005. Sometime during 2005 the
Archaeological community "dethroned" the Clovis point, as being the oldest
of the old, and instead claimed that certain "stemmed" points pre-date the
Clovis point, personally I strongly question this new development... no
science is "exact", and Archaeology is more subject to change than most,
as new artifacts "types" are discovered on an on-going basis... The
"stemmed points" which supposedly "pre-date" the Clovis points are of a
totally different technology, and are much more "crude" in nature.. this new
development seems to be similar to comparing Neanderthal tools to those of
the Cro-magnon man... it' my personal opinion that (at least) 2 distinct
groups migrated to America, and that they may very well have co-existed,
each having their own "flint technology that worked"... the "fluted"
technology is obviously more advance than the "stemmed point" technology,
so which came first... I think they came at about the same time... only
future discoveries will hopefully reveal the total story. |
| |
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This is
what is known as a "Clovis" point. The clovis point is the oldest of the old,
dating back as far as 14,000 years ago. It is the first point type to appear in
North America and the technology of this point type is unique to North America.
(Not found anywhere else in the world) The typical form of the
clovis point is well described in Overstreet's guide to Indian Arrowheads and,
to paraphrase, a lance point having auricles (a barbed-base), one or more
"flutes" (flutes being mentioned below), a concave base with convex sides; the
basal area is usually ground as are the edges of the point paralleling the
flute. (Flutes are "grooves" appearing in the central face of the clovis, and
were intended to facilitate an easy, sturdy and tight durable binding of the
stone point to a wooden atlatl-propelled spear fore-shaft. It's interesting to note
that the oldest points in America normally had ground-edges near the base. The
sharp edges of the projectile point were ground smooth in order to prevent cutting of the binding
material. It's also interesting to note, that along with binding a point to a
shaft with sinew or plant fiber, asphaltum (tar) was often used to cover the
binding, and acted as a "glue", further strengthening the joining of the
stone point
to the wooden shaft. Western clovis points pre-date Eastern clovis points by
approximately 300 years. Clovis points mark an era of the "Big Game
hunters", those tribes and groups of big-game hunters who pursued herds of (now extinct) animals to provide
food for their survival. It's my own personal theory that the size of the point
coincided with the size of the "game" being sought; consider the difference shown in the
photo below, between a Western clovis point and its eastern counter-parts. The
large western point was well suited to kill a mammoth, whereas the other 3 eastern clovis points seem to be more suited to bring-down a smaller animal, such as a
bison. As the larger animals were hunted to extinction, the size of the clovis
point was, in my opinion, reduced to coincide with the size of the
surviving animals available as a food-source. |
| It's
interesting to note that no other point-type (with the controversial exception
of the "Sandia" type) appeared until 2000 years later. (12,000 BP or 10,000
BC) In other words, the Clovis "arrowhead" was the ONLY projectile point used for the first
2000 years of the Native American Indians' habitation on the North American
Continent ! |
A tiger-stripped clovis from
Indiana:
| Many
projectile points
are made from extremely colorful lithic material, to the point where one can
consider them to be truly works of art. This leads me to believe that the Native
American Indians must have been at least a little bit superstitious, in that
it's reasonable to imagine that a colorful artistic point held it's own "magic",
and would result in good fortune or better luck and success in "the hunt". |
A Whopper Chopper from the Santa Fe River in Florida:
 
| Could be a
"blank" or could be a butchering tool... A blank is a lithic which the Native
Americans roughly worked-down at rock quarry sites for ease of transportation as well
as for trade. Blanks were used in inter-tribal trade, as quarry sites having
desirable and workable lithic (stone) material were sometimes as far as hundreds of
miles away from a tribes' actual habitation site. Indeed, quality lithic material
was a prized possession, not to be wasted, as evidenced by many tools being
re-worked or "re-cycled" into a totally different tool after being damaged to
the point of no longer being useful to their original purpose. |
When Bone Meets Stone:
|
Here we have a few photos showing samples of the Native Americans' ingenuity
in creating "press-fit" tools. This particular adze displays how a polished
stone celt was mounted into a bone or antler
bit. Bone and antler material have
a "shock-absorbing" quality, and were often used to fashion many
hand-held tools.
Tools of this nature, having multiple parts of differing materials are referred
to as "compound tools" in the scientific community. |
| The 2 Pelican
points above from the Paleo time period demonstrate a "first-stage" Pelican and
a Pelican point which has been anciently re-sharpened for re-use at least 3
times... The native Americans were ingenious in re-working tools, wasting
nothing in the process of re-cycling. Often, arrowheads which were
re-sharpened to the point of exhaustion as arrowheads, were re-shaped into
an entirely different tool, such as a drill, or scraper, as shown below. |
|
Here we have a "classic"
example of the Ancient Native Americans' ingenuity in . |
|
reworking old, worn-out or
damaged artifacts to suit a totally different purpose from which they were
first intended. |
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These two relics
were originally arrowheads, but were re-shaped into drills, most |
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likely recovered
after a successful hunt during which, the tips of the arrowheads |
|
were damaged.. An excellent example of
Native Amerinds'
"Recycling". |
A Plainview is a
Plainview... Across vast territories...
| This photo shows
3 Plainview points of different materials from 3 different states; The black
basalt point is from Arkansas, the brown chert point is from Texas and the white
burlington chert point is from Illinois. As with the clovis point, which can be
found across all 9 regions of the United States, it's amazing that the same
"styles" of points were spread across such a vast area for any given
point in time... it makes one wonder if
they (The ancient native American people) didn't have messengers spreading the word about which "style" of point was
"in" for any given period ! |
BLANKS
Tools
evolvement through the Ages:
|
Pictured above
are 3 hafted hide scrapers from 3 distinct time eras, the Paleo period, the
Archaic and the Woodland period respectively. It's interesting to note how
the Native Americans adapted through the ages; bigger game (of the Paleo
era) required bigger tools. As entire species became extinct, the Native
Americans adapted to the changes. These samples clearly demonstrate how the
technology remained the same, but the size was adapted to suit the smaller
game hunted for sustenance in later periods. |
Cultural Time
Periods:
Mid-USA and Eastward:
|
Time Era
|
Date Range |
|
Paleo |
12,000 to 11,000
BC |
|
Late Paleo |
10,000 to 8,000
BC |
|
Transitional
Paleo |
9,000 to 7,000 BC |
|
Early Archaic |
8,000 to 5,000 BC |
|
Middle Archaic |
5,000 to 2,000 BC |
|
Late Archaic |
2,000 to 1,000 BC |
|
Woodland |
1,000 BC to 700
AD |
|
Mississippian |
700 AD to 1600 AD |
|
Historic |
1600 AD to 1830
AD |
The Western United States
|
Time Era
|
Date Range |
|
Paleo
|
12,000 to 6,000
BC |
|
Early Archaic |
6,000 to 3,500 BC |
|
Middle Archaic |
3,550 to 1,300 BC |
|
Late Archaic |
1,500 to 300 BC |
The following
periods or eras are termed "the Desert Traditions" in the Western United States:
|
Time Era
|
Date Range |
|
Transitional |
300 BC to 400 AD |
|
Developmental
|
400 to 1300 AD |
|
Classic
|
1300 to 1600 AD |
|
Historic |
1600 to 1830 AD |
What
does BP mean ?... Scientific (and other) Terminology Explained
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Term |
Meaning |
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BP |
B.P. Stands for "Before
Present (time)"
I believe it was promoted to get away from the "BC" standard,
by British scientists (who also use BCE - before current era)... so as to
not offend the non-Christian world.... I don't like it one bit... because
it's a "moving target" !... reminds me of the tourist who asked the
security guard in a museum, how old the dinosaur skeleton on display
was.... the security guard answered "20 million 7 years old"... the tourist
asked... "how can they date it so accurately... I mean.... right down to the
exact
year ???"... and the security guard answered "easy... it was 20 million
years old when I started working here, 7 years ago" ! Examples of the
"conversion" would be: (in the year 2000) 1200 AD = 800 BP 2000 BC (in
2006) = 4006 BP (Correction: After further research, I discovered that there
IS in fact a specific year arbitrarily designated as the "Present" year to
be used; it turns out that this specific year is 1950.) |
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Spent |
An artifact is
said to be "spent" when it has been re-sharpened by the Ancients to the
point where it is no longer able to be used as the tool it was originally
intended to be. "Spent" items were either discarded, or re-worked into an
entirely different tool from the original item. A common example is
arrowheads being re-worked into functional drills. (See the
Recycling Tools section above) |
|
|
Side A / Side B |
When referring
to an artifact, Side A would simply be the "better side", and Side B would
be the opposite side of the artifact. Think of it this way... if you wanted
to show-case an artifact, Side A would be the side that you would show if
you placed the artifact in a display case |
|
|
Beveling |
Beveling is a term used to
describe a very sharp angle along the cutting edges of ancient knife blades
which occurred from the edges being re-sharpened repeatedly from only one
side. In Paleo times, knife blades were re-sharpened in the same fashion as
they were first made, that is to say, the ancient knapper would re-sharpen
the left side on face A, then the right edge on face A, turn the knife over
and re-sharpen the left side on face B and then the right side on face B.
This process kept the blade in perfect symmetry, but reduced the size of the
blade at a fast rate. During the early Archaic period, the ancient knappers
suddenly realized that they could achieve a sharp edge by simply
re-sharpening only one opposing edge on each face of the knife blade. This
conserved material and effected a sharp edge nicely. So, in essence, they
got smart... but not too smart. Since they found a winning formula, they
stuck with it, and continued the same process to the same edge when the
blade needed re-sharpening again. This caused the blade to take on a
"twisted" rhomboidal shape over a period of time. (IF they had TRULY gotten
smart, they would have "alternated" the edge they re-sharpened on each face
with each new re-sharpening, then the blade would have kept a more
symmetrical form) When the beveling occurs along the right edge of each face
of the knife blade, it is called right-handed beveling (which is the most
common, by the way) and likewise, when the beveling occurs on the left side
edges of each face of the knife blade, it is called left-handed beveling. |
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Geofact |
A rock which has unusual
"features" caused by the natural forces of nature. (ie. - NOT altered by
ancient man) |
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Terminology for "Stages" of artifacts manufacture |
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Ancient
artifacts went through many "stages" during the manufacturing process. Three
of these "pre-finished" stages are worth mentioning. |
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Stage: |
Explanation: |
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|
Blank |
An entire
section (above) is dedicated to the explanation of "Blanks", but in short,
blanks are the first stage in "roughing out" an artifact from a host stone
material. It has no characteristics to indicate the finished product it is
intended to become, and in fact, a "Blank" could and often was later broken into
many pieces to create a multitude of different tools. |
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Preform |
A preform has
the basic "shape" or outline of a SPECIFIC artifact or artifact "type", but
lacks many "features" in the steps involved to create a specific artifact or
artifact "type". Some of the features lacking might be: "thinning" of the
tool/weapon, all of the "finished" traits, such as notching or other traits
to facilitate sturdy hafting. The flaking of the artifact at this stage is
still crude and less "defined". This is the first "roughing out" stage for a
SPECIFIC tool type. |
|
|
Planform |
The Planform
stage can be thought of as the final form an artifact assumes before
"finishing" characteristics (such as notches, stems, tangs, etc.) are added.
At this stage, most primary flaking is completed, the artifact is complete
in shape, form and thinness and is ready to be put through the final stages
of "notching", secondary and tertiary flaking and so on. |
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"First Stage" |
A completed
artifact essentially in the same condition as the day it was made, having NO
ancient re-sharpenings which would have reduced it's size and shape. |
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"Other" (less scientific)
Terminology: |
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COA |
Certificate of Authenticity -
Issued by authenticators giving their opinion as to the genuineness of an
artifact. These often contain further information about the history of an
artifact |
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SOP |
Statement of
Provenance - Simply a piece of paper which details any known information
about where an artifact was found |
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KRF |
An abbreviation for Knife
River Flint, a high-grade honey colored to rootbeer brown flint which is
semi-translucent and most common in North Dakota. This material gains frosty
white patina with a bluish hue over time. A material highly sought after by
collectors. |
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Flea Bite |
An ultra-small nick to an
artifact, often to the tip or to the very tips of it's tangs. This, in and
of itself normally doesn't detract from an artifact's beauty, and can be
very hard to judge from the way an artifact was actually knapped. |
|
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Tick Bite |
An extremely small nick to an
artifact, often to the tip or to the very tips of it's tangs, slightly
larger than a Flea bite, but smaller than a spider bite. This, in and
of itself normally doesn't detract from an artifact's beauty, but it does
keep it from obtaining a "grade" of G10 (perfect). |
|
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Spider Bite |
A very small nick to an
artifact, often to the tip or to the very tips of it's tangs, larger than
a "Tick bite". This, in and of itself normally doesn't detract from an
artifact's beauty, but it does keep it from obtaining a "grade" of G10
(perfect). |
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No Brainer |
A term used to indicate that
an artifact is genuine because of very obvious traits of antiquity, such
as patina, mineral deposits, etc. |
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Hinge Fracture |
A very slight "step" which
occurs on the surface of an artifact when a flake being removed from the
surface hits a "sticking point" and the flake "hinges" upward and breaks
off horizontally, leaving a very slightly elevated line on the artifact
and often a "loose flake" section where minerals can accumulate and
"stain" this loose flake, through and through. Almost ALL artifacts have
multiple hinge fractures, as that is just the nature of the beast when
working in stone. Additionally, hinge fractures should be one of the very
first areas you examine when trying to determine an artifact's
authenticity, as the ledge of the hinge fracture will have a weathered
"smooth", rounded appearance (as opposed to "square" for fake artifacts
created recently) and will have ground debris and mineralization actually
under the remaining hinge. (Fake artifacts won't have ground debris,
unless it was intentionally put there to deceive a buyer, and even if the
maker faked the ground debris, mineralization is nearly impossible to
effectively mimic) |
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Ledge |
A slight "step" which occurs
on the surface of an artifact when a flake being removed from the surface
hits a "sticking point" and the flake "hinges" upward and breaks off
horizontally, leaving a slightly elevated line on the artifact. This is
identical to a hinge fracture, but is thicker, and less desirable |
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Stack |
Worse than a ledge, this is a
stubborn section of an artifact's host material which defied flaking, even
from multiple directions. It appears as a thicker, and cruder (unflaked)
section on the face of an artifact and often detracts from the artifact's
value. Often stacks can measure an additional 50% of the artifact's normal
thickness (in areas surrounding the stack) |
|
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Fire Pop |
A phenomenon which occurs
when an arrowhead (or other artifact) is exposed to high heat, such as a
campfire, and which causes a circular, or multiple circular sections of
the surface of the artifact to "Pop off" leaving a circular depression. In
ancient times, this often happened to arrowheads which remained embedded
in game meat while it was being cooked for consumption |
|
|
Heart Breaker |
Term used for a broken or
damaged artifact, especially one which was found partially exposed and
upon retrieving it, was found to not be totally intact. |
|
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Impact Fracture |
Damage caused to the tip of
an arrowhead or projectile dart point when the projectile either missed
it's intended target, and came into contact with a harder object, such as
a rock, or when the projectile came into contact with a bone (often a rib
bone) of the intended quarry, causing damage to the tip of the projectile
point. This type of fracture normally appears on the faces of a projectile
point and has the same "ripple" marks as pressure flaking causes. |
|
|
Lateral Impact fracture |
Same as an impact fracture,
except the damage to the projectile point travels down the "cutting edge"
of the projectile point from the tip, instead of the facial area |
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Lithic Scatters - What are they ?
|
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| |
Lithic scatters are "detritus" (rock in small particles broken away from a
mass) and sometimes broken tools which are often found in sandy soil, and
are the "leftovers" at a site where the Native
Americans manufactured tools. When hunting for artifacts, this is often one
of the first signs found. The photos below show a rare undisturbed obsidian Lithic Scatter. |
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HOW TO FIND INDIAN ARROWHEADS
|
After a full year and a
half in the works, I finally completed my book on How to Find Indian
Arrowheads and other Ancient Artifacts and Relics... Click on the book's
cover below for information on how to order: |
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The first book listed below I'm now calling the 2nd best I've ever seen, |
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while the other books on finding arrowheads I simply found while searching |
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for sources for this museum article, so I can't recommend them at this point
in |
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time, although I'm ordering them today, for myself and when I finish reading
them, |
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I'll
give my honest opinion as to their usefulness here. (If I find them to be |
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lacking, they will be removed from this article; be sure to look at the |
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BOOK REVIEW on the bookstore page for my
opinions on good books, |
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as well as those to avoid.) Also, I've included some GREAT on-line links |
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explaining how you TOO can find ancient artifacts. |
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Enjoy, and happy
hunting ! |
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Arrowheads & Stone Artifacts: A Practical Guide for the Amateur |
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Archaeologist
by C.G.Yeager |
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In our (now) somewhat
prejudiced opinion, this one is the second best guide for finding ancient
arrowheads and artifacts. The reason I like this one is because of it’s
organization. It first covers the legal aspects of our hobby (the author is
a lawyer himself) and then it goes on to educate the reader about lithic
types which were used for ancient tools, how artifacts were made and it also
has a good section depicting "types" of arrowheads and other stone tools
with sketches and photographs, and of course it’s two most important
sections are titled "Where artifacts are found" and "How to hunt for
artifacts". Basically this is a great "primer" for artifact hunters and it
rounds-out the knowledge presented in my upcoming book. (I also like it
because it's VERY inexpensive, for the information it imparts.) |
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Click on the Blue Link below the book to view or purchase this book. |
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By clicking on the Blue Link button below the books, you will NOT be |
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obligated to
purchase the book, and you can view all of the information |
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about the book before making a decision. |
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Hint: Check out the table of contents ! |
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The third book I recommend for pointers on how to find ancient artifacts is
shown below; This one is not as "light" of a reading as the book above, and
definitely has a HEAVY Archaeological "slant" with an emphasis on conducting
organized and documented excavations (even of burials)... so it's intended
as a "primer" for the serious Archaeology student. It has a few GREAT
features, one being, it covers in more detail how to locate potential
Archaeological sites for excavation and covers the incorporation of topology
maps in your search. The 5 appendixes are VERY useful, as they list
information by each state for Archaeological sites open to the public (and
visiting these sites is one of my personal hunting techniques, as it
provides insight as to what sort of terrain and land features you should be
on the lookout for when searching for your own sites), Archaeological
societies which you can join, listed again by state, a good listing of museums,
etc. It has both photographs and professionally drawn pictures of artifacts
and sites and even covers recording methods as well as artifact preservation
techniques. Although most of the information in this book is "timeless",
meaning that it still applies in this day and age, it was copyrighted in
1965, so the information given on museums and societies may no longer apply.
Still a great read ! |
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Here are links to the other books available, which I haven't checked out |
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yet: (Click on the Blue "book title link"... you won't be committed to |
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actually buy it !) |
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Hmmm... my
apologies, at the time of posting these to the museum page,
|
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none of these were "in stock" on Amazon.com,
so I can't give an honest |
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opinion on them at
this time. |
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AH, HA !... I
finally figured out how this works... if you DON'T SEE a |
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"Best Price" listed
under the author's name, it means that that particular |
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book is NOT in
stock at this time, although the book's "title-link" will still |
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work so that you
can view whatever information is available about the |
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book. |
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And here are some
useful "On-line" Links for pointers on how to find |
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ancient artifacts: |
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Arrowhead Hunter's
Primer |
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How to search a creek bed for Indian arrowheads |
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How to Find Arrowheads and Other Native American (Indian) Artifacts |
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Okey... now that
you've used the guides above, and have come back with |
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buckets of
Arrowheads... it might be nice to be able to "classify" them, |
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as to "type name",
age and value... here is a link to what has often been |
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called "The
Arrowhead Collectors' Bible"... It is Overstreet's guide to the |
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Identification and
price guide to Indian Arrowheads by Robert
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M. Overstreet...
this too is a "MUST HAVE"... and covers EVERY angle |
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imaginable about
Arrowheads, from the flaking styles, to grading and much |
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much more... it
contains photographs of EVERY known type of Arrowhead |
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throughout the
ENTIRE United States and even includes Alaska... |
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just to give an
idea of how much information this book contains, |
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it is 1-5/8" thick,
and is comprised of about 90% photographs !!! |
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The 11th Edition is
the latest Overstreet guide released. |
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And the following
book we recommend for all other tools which the native Americans made and
used... Indian & Eskimo Artifacts of North America by Charles Miles...
If there is a single
item that the Native American Indians made which isn't pictured in this
book, I have no idea what it could possibly be. This book contains TONS of
(Black & White) photos of everything imaginable, from bows and arrows to
baskets, hunting utilities, food processing relics, footwear and clothing,
adornments, gaming and more. Although it doesn't cover "types of Arrowheads"
like Overstreet's book covers, for the breadth of artifacts covered in this
publication, Charles did a VERY thorough job !...
If you've ever held an artifact in your hand and asked
yourself "What the heck is it ?", then this book's for you !
A GREAT book to learn
more about all of the different types of relics created and used by the
Native Americans in the pre-Columbian days ! (Better, still... I was able to
get my copy for only 2.99, plus shipping... a solid bargain !) |
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The Museum Book Store |
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And here are more
books on Indian Artifacts available through |
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Amazon.com: I've
listed the many books written by Lar Hothem first, |
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as his publications
tend to be very consistent and are usually packed with |
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page after page of
mostly black & white photos with pricing and minimal |
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text, although he
did tend to focus mainly on the mid-western states. |
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The exception to
this is his book on "Paleo Indian Artifacts", the first one |
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shown below, which is in ALL COLOR
and a MUST HAVE for Paleo |
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collectors everywhere. |
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*** A WORD OF
CAUTION ABOUT ORDERING BOOKS ON-LINE *** |
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I have seen THE
SAME book listed with prices ranging from 3.00 to more than 70.00... with no
"great" difference in the condition of the book... so... shop wisely, and if
a price seems to be unreasonable, have patience... sooner or later it WILL
be offered at a reasonable price, since these books are offered by different
sources throughout the United States. Also, don't neglect to use the
"feedback" link on each book's description page, in order to see what others
have said about the book... it often helps when trying to decide if a book
is worth purchasing or not. And finally, don't shy away from the "Used" link for a
book you're considering... often you'll find brand NEW books listed in this
section, at bargain prices ! |
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And... I am VERY sorry to say... there ARE FAKE arrowheads and artifacts |
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out there which some unscrupulous people try to sell as being authentic... |
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The Book below,
written by Jim Bennett, is the single best resource for |
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being
able to tell the "Real Deal" from junk
created by modern Arti-fakers: |
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Jim has a most refreshing writing style and explains every "feature" to look |
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for, when judging
an item to be authentic or fake and has A LOT of color |
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photographs as
examples of these features. Without using technical |
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(and boring) terms,
Jim imparts a lot of knowledge, not only on how to |
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determine
reproduction (fake) artifacts, but more importantly, how to |
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determine if an
ancient artifact has been "altered" in modern times... |
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when I first bought
Jim's book, I couldn't put it down until I had read the |
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entire book... and
then, I immediately re-read it !... it's that interesting !... |
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(To quote
Eddy Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop, Trust me !) |
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For more Books on other Native American Indian topics, please visit |
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our website book store: The Book Store |
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AND, for our candid opinion about good books, and books to AVOID, |
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please see the "BOOK REVIEW" section on the book store page: |
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Book Review |
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"Other" books which we recommended in our book on "How to find Indian
Arrowheads" |
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Okey... enough with the books... back out into the field and ancient
stuff... |
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Petroglyphs, Indian "Rock Art" |
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Here are photographs of some of the Native American Indian "Rock Art", known
as Petroglyphs, which are on display at the Gingko Petrified Forrest in
Vantage, Washington. |
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For Books on Petroglyphs across the United |
And click on the link below to visit one of |
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States, please visit our website book store: |
the absolute BEST Pictograph/Petroglyph |
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The Book Store |
websites I've ever seen ! |
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http://www.petroglyphs.us/ |
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Only the Necessary...
An article on "Un-finished" Tools:
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I acquired
the piece shown above, and I admired the "micro-flaking" on this knife's
edge, and I wondered, what in the world would have prevented the ancient
artisan from "completing his work" on what would have been a most beautiful
piece... did he perhaps hear his child's cry for help, and abandon his work,
only for someone to find this piece thousands of years later ? I kept
turning the question over and over in my mind... "Why, had the ancient
knapper not FINISHED this piece ?" I showed this blade
to another more experienced artifact advocate, and presented him with this
question. His answer somewhat astounded me... he stated "this piece IS
finished"... the ancient native Amerinds apparently only did what was
necessary to accomplish their daily goals... in other words, they had
"common-sense" ! They did no more and no less than what was necessary to
accomplish their goal of survival or to accomplish the immediate task at
hand. They constantly lived "in the present",
a lesson we can learn from. So, this is a "finished" leaf blade, in as much
as was needed at the time. When the edges became dull, the blade would be
further "worked" as necessary, to once again create a sharp cutting edge. With this new knowledge, I had a different
perspective on other artifacts which I found, and which are pictured below.
The first is a butchering blade, the second is a Monterey chert hand-axe. |
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A "Broken" Folsom ?... Folsom Point
Technology Explained
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This article
was summarized from a conversation with Tom Westfall of Colorado, who is a
collector of some 40 years, and who is a recognized Folsom "expert", with
many publications under his belt. The Westfall Folsom Site in El Paso,
Colorado, was named after Tom's son, who first discovered this site. (Tom's
related comments appear below in parenthesis) |
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Is this a
"Broken" Folsom ? |
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The answer is
"sort of", but not for the reason you would imagine. Many people wrongly
assume that a piece like this was damaged, loosing the tip during the
fluting process... nothing could be further from the truth... read on... |
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The Folsom
Technology in a nutshell... |
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First a
Folsom "blank" was worked out (Tom stated that Folsom blanks are VERY rare) |
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The base was
then "roughed out" and prepared for fluting (See "How Clovis Points were
made" below, for a better
description of the fluting process) |
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The first
side was then fluted (Tom mentioned that the success rate for this stage was
usually 70 to 80% successful) |
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The base
was then re-prepared (adding a "nipple" in the center) for the second flute |
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The
second flute was then made (This was the Folsom's deadliest stage, having a
success rate of 70%) |
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Next the
micro-edgework was added to the blank |
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Next came
the "snap tip" stage, where the Folsom's tip was intentionally "snapped
off", normally at the edge of the longest flute |
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(This form is known as "Folsom Snap-tip" points, and explains exactly how
the ancient |
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knappers could
obtain a flute running all the way to the tip... they cheated !) |
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Micro-edgework
was then done to "re-tip" the Folsom (This is why most Folsom's appear to
have a "rounded" tip) |
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The basal
edges and base were then ground in final preparation for hafting |
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So, the answer
to the original question... "Is this a broken Folsom ?", is Yes... BUT the
break was INTENTIONAL as part of the 7th step in the normal manufacturing
process, making this a Folsom in one of its many "Pre-form" stages. (Tom also mentioned that "Snap-tip" Folsom points are very rare, he
had only seen about 10 of these in all of his 40 years of collecting) |
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If you would
like more information about the Folsom manufacturing process, please visit
the website listed below for some AWESOME photos of all of the stages
involved in the manufacturing of Folsom points: |
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Folsom Link:
http://www.ele.net/folsom.htm |
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Hammer Stones vs. Pecking Stones - The difference
examined
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Hammer stones vs. Pecking
stones - What are they and what is the difference between the two ? Both are
technically "Hammer stones", simply of a different caliper. One can think of
hammer stones as a "Sledge hammer" where pecking stones could best be
compared to a "Ball peen hammer" (the small one with a rounded end) Hammer
stones were used on the large "Mother or Core" stones of raw flint or chert
material, in order to knock loose large fragments which could then begin the
evolution into actual tools. Pecking stones, on the other hand, were used
for direct percussion "shaping" and flaking of the tool being created.
Characteristics between the two were similar, in that strikes from a hammer
stone as well as a pecking stone, often dislodged pieces or fragments from
the hammer stone in use. (Normally on two or more faces of the
hammer/pecking stone) Because the striking action was more forceful with
hammer stones, material dislodged from hammer stones tended to be larger
than the marks left on a pecking stone: |
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Photos:
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A group of two Hammer Stones (top) and 2 Pecking Stones (bottom) showing the
relative size differences |
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Displays the normal grip for a hammer stone, along with the working (flat)
side of the hammer stone |
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Also shows the normal grip for a hammer stone and it's "working" side |
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Shows one of the normal "end-grips" for a pecking stone |
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Shows the usage wear marks on one end of the pecking stone |
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Shows the usage marks on the other end of the same pecking stone |
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Shows the alternate "mid-back" grip for percussion flaking of a larger area,
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with less precision than when used with an end-grip |
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Shows the positioning of the pecking stone, using an end grip, with a sample |
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of the sort of flaking pattern this percussion method would produce on a
"blank" |
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What were Paleo Crescents used for?
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Paleo Crescents: |
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It’s my opinion,
based on where a majority of these are found in great numbers next to
dried-up marshes, that these were used to harvest tule and cattail reeds for
use in making cordage, sandals and as binding material for tools and
arrowheads. I believe that these were hafted in the center on the end of a
stick with the curved edges of the crescent forming a “frown” when the stick
was held upright. I believe that these were used as a mini-sickle to cut the
bottoms of the reeds, and then one of the ends of the crescent was inserted into the hole at
one end of the reed in order to slit the reed into finer strands. The reason
I think that the crescents were hafted in the middle is because almost all
crescents have centers which are ground smooth for hafting, both on the
concave side as well as the convex side. |
"Weird" Ancient Tools and Weapons
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This section is dedicated to display and educate the public
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about "Weird" and unusual ancient tools of the sort that you
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just don't see very often. |
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Here is another form of palm
protector for use with a fire starting pump drill. This one was found in a
cave, approximately 90km north of Thessalon, Ontario, Canada. The depth of
the cave was about 11 meters, and this one was found on the floor of the
cave, 9 meters back from the cave's mouth in the early 1970's by Daniel
Keiser, who kindly gave his permission to use both the photos and site
information. |
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This is an
interesting "trigger" pressure flaking tool made from an animal bone with
almost no modification to become a useful tool. The "grip" for using this
tool is shown in the last photograph. |
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This is a most
unusual Arrowhead made from red railroad signal glass. After the contact
between the Native American Indians and the European invaders (whom referred
to themselves in a kinder term as "Colonizers") the Native American tool
makers often made arrowheads from glass items such as bottles, railroad
glass and the green/aqua-marine telegraph insulators ! It's most amazing
because, these items were the final items made in the "Old Way", before the
Natives abandoned working in stone altogether, in favor of the metal tools
and weapons that the Europeans introduced to the Indian cultures. |
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The final stage in creating an arrow shaft was to make
the shaft smooth as a baby's behind. This was the tool which was use to
accomplish that purpose. This is known as an "Arrow shaft abrader" and
served the same purpose as our sandpaper serves today in the wood-working
world. |
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ATLATL PARTS |
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The top photograph shows an atlatl "spur". This was
tied to the end of the atlatl (throwing stick) with the thick, curved end
sticking upwards at the end of the atlatl board, and the end of the shaft of the
javelin was placed against the spur for launching. |
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The second photograph shows a single grooved atlatl
weight. These were tied to the underside of the atlatl, in order to give extra
balance and power to the throw |
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The third photograph shows a double grooved atlatl
weight, which was used in the same fashion as the atlatl weight above. |
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The forth photograph shows "finger rings" made from
curved shells. These were drilled on both ends for attaching to the atlatl's
handle, and were then used to provide a nice, natural grip when manipulating
the atlatl. These atlatl finger rings are more common in the southern
central states, into Mexico. |
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Net Weights |
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Pictured above are two "Net Weights" which were tied
to the bottom of fishing nets woven from plant fiber |
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Patina Explained
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What a difference a day makes... or in this instance,
approximately 1,460,000 of 'um. On the left is an Ashtabula dart point from
the late Archaic period, between 1500 and 4000 years old and on the right is
a Dove Tail point from the early Archaic period between 8000 and 9500 years
old. Both of these were made from mottled blue Coshocton chert, quite
possibly from the same quarry site in Ohio, but the much older Dove Tail point shows
heavy patina from aging. Patina is a discoloration which occurs to the
surface of artifacts after they've been exposed to the elements, soil and weather
changes over hundreds of years. Many times this discoloration, or "coating"
has a foggy appearance. (Such as in this example) Patina differs greatly
from stone type to stone type and often patina can turn a snow white host
stone solid black in appearance and conversely patina can turn a black host
stone a frosty white color. (Especially in desert areas where artifacts not
only experience a bleaching process from exposure to the sun, but also take
on what is termed "desert polish" from blown sand contacting the surface of
artifacts over hundreds of years in time. |
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Here is an excellent example of a very old Monterey
chert partial, which I found in a plowed field. It's a classic example of how
very dark host stone material can take on a much lighter patina from being
sun-bleached over thousands of years. From the break, which was most likely
caused by farming machinery, you can see how the patina actually penetrates the
surface of the stone, leaving lighter layers surrounding the host stone's true
color, which was a deep rootbeer brown. Monterey chert is a California-specific
lithic, not to be found in other states, and, because of the layering, is often
mistakenly identified as petrified wood. |
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And here is an excellent example of
the exact opposite effect from the Monterey chert example above, where a much
lighter green Franciscan chert knife partial has patinated to nearly a
pitch-black color. From a more recent edge nick, and a small circular nick to
the bottom, one can readily see the light green color of the original host
stone. Franciscan chert is a California-specific lithic, not to be found in
other states, with the possible exception of inter-tribal trading amongst the
ancients. |
Mineralization explained, what is it and what does it look
like ?
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Mineralization also termed mineral deposits are caused
when iron or other metallic or organic |
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substances migrate from the soil and attach themselves
onto the surface of an artifact, building up |
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over hundreds of years in time. These deposits often
appear as dark brown dots, some as small as |
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the head of a pin and resembling tar. Many times they
appear in numbers, and are "chained" together. |
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(bottom photo) The deposits are 3D in nature, and
extend outward from the surface of an artifact. |
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The mineral deposits often form their own mineral
stain "halo" surrounding the actual mineral |
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deposit, as shown in all of the photos above. When
cleaning relics, one must take care to not |
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eliminate or remove the mineral deposits, as they are
the absolute best way of determining that an |
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artifact is in fact ancient and authentic. Note: Arti-fakers
often attempt to "simulate" mineral |
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deposits through a variety of chemical methods. For
more information, See Jim Bennett's book on
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"Authenticating Ancient Indian Artifacts" |
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How Clovis points
were made
Questions & Answers - About the Native American Indians' Way of Life
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I'm often asked "Did all native American Indians make arrowheads ?"... and
my answer is this... Most modern men know how to change a tire on a car, and
most know how to also change the oil in a car, but very few of these men
would call themselves "Mechanics"... so it was with the Ancients... almost
all males in their society could "rough-out" a usable knife when needed
"in
the field", but there were true artisans of the flint-knapping profession and
many members of their tribes would turn to them to provide these necessary
stone tools. Items were bartered for the needed stone implements, and I can
imagine that some were likely "traded for a promise"... something along the
line of, if you give me this arrowhead, I'll give you a portion of the kill
I make when I use it. |
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Q: Should I clean my arrowheads ? |
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A: Certainly... Just NOT harshly, and not with chemicals (other than
ascetone) |
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A
soft toothbrush or fingernail brush with warm water usually works nicely... |
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it's alright to remove dirt, but what you don't want to disturb on the
surface |
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of any artifact is the patina (the coloration the surface takes on through |
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exposure to the
elements over the ages) nor the mineral deposits... |
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these are indicators of antiquity, and are often used to establish a
relic's |
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authenticity. |
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How To
Professionally "Label" Your Artifacts |
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Materials Needed: These
are obtainable at just about any art supply store, and can even be ordered
on-line over the internet |
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1 Small calligraphy pen
holder (Also termed a "quill" pen) |
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1 (or more, as these do
tend to wear out) very fine calligraphy pen tip, also known as "nibs".
I use a number 104, but don't take this as gospel truth, as other sizes may
produce more favorable results for you. |
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1 small bottle of white
acrylic WATER SOLUBLE paint |
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1 small bottle of clear
nail polish |
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1 "composition" log book |
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(Please see the photos
at the bottom of this long-winded article) |
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Choosing A "Code System" |
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Many years ago, when I
first started labeling my artifacts, I used prefixes of "P" for purchased
artifacts, "A" for artifacts I obtained from an auction, and so on, followed
by a unique number for each prefix. Later I got smart and took a friend's
advice, specifically, I now label artifacts with 2 numbers, separated by a
"dot". The first number indicates the number of the Artifact "Log Book"
which contains the information about the artifact, and the second number is
the sequential number of the artifact within this log book. This method is
much simpler and allows me to start with artifact #1 every time I start a
brand new log book. This prevents artifact numbers from becoming too long to
fit on the relic itself. It also makes locating an artifact MUCH easier, as
with the old system, "P"-items became interspersed with "A"-items and after
a couple of log books it became a real chore to locate anything ! Some
people like to include the County and State where the artifact was found in the artifact's label. If the
relic being labeled is large enough, I would encourage this practice.
Another mistake I made early on was "doubting" my ability to find artifacts
out in the field, so I included my "personal finds" in the same log book as
purchased artifacts. This proved to be a mistake as the personal finds
logged made it even more difficult to locate items quickly. Even if you're
only a semi-serious hunter, I would encourage you to use a separate log book
for personal finds. The only drawback to an "All numeric" system is, if a log
book were to become lost, it would be near impossible to re-construct the
artifacts' information. For this reason, I keep photo copies of my log books
in a safety deposit box, and I update additional photo copies every 10 pages or so. |
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What To Record In The Log Book |
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First of all, be sure to
label the cover of a new log book with a title ("Indian Artifacts Logbook"),
the starting date for the entries which are to go into this book (and the
ending date once you have filled-up the log book) as well as the number of
the log book itself. I put clear tape over the log book's cover labels so
that they won't wear away with time. I also leave the first 3 and last 3
pages of each log book BLANK, in order to be able to add an index, or
"Pre-log" notes at a later date. (This is especially useful to define other
"codes" which are used in the logbook along with an explanation of the
meaning of the codes.) Next, for each artifact, I put the
number of the artifact in the log book's left hand margin. (If you use the
numbering system I recommend above, you don't have to include the first
number in the log book, since this is the number of the log book itself) Next, to the right
side of the margin which has the artifact's number, I like to record the date
that I obtained the artifact in the log books center (wide) column, and I
record the price I paid for the artifact in the right hand margin on this
first line. Follow this with a "Scientific", impersonal
description of the item, which should include: Size, color(s), material it's
made from, the "type name" of the artifact (Dovetail, Rose Springs, etc.),
what sort of tool it is (Arrowhead, knife blade, scraper, etc.), the period
it is from (Paleo, Archaic, etc.), the age of the artifact within it's
specified period followed by any other distinguishing "features" the relic
might have. (color "patterns", basal grinding, flaking patterns such as
micro-flaking, fire-popping, damage, etc.) Next, if you have this information,
it's always wise to record the person who found the artifact, the location
where it was found in as much detail as possible and the date that it was
found, if known, as well as who you purchased the artifact from and his/her
current contact information including address, phone number, email address,
etc. At a bare minimum, one should record at
least the County and State where the relic was recovered. Finally, you
should record the dimensions of the artifact as: length x width x thickness
or height. One way to get around recording measurements of the artifact, is
to trace an outline of the artifact below the log book number; I'm lazy, so
this is my preference. An example of a properly documented artifact would
be: 2.15 - 1/15/07 - 150.00 Log book 2, 15th artifact documented in this log book,
purchased on 1/15/07 for 150.00. A small,
thick light red jasper Malaga Cove Leaf knife blade from the Developmental
phase dating between 700 and 1,500 years old. Recovered near Old Mill Creek
in Sonoma County, CA by John Smith in 1972. Has ancient damage to the tip
and 1 tang. Purchased from Mark Dunning, 1111 some street, Yakima, WA
followed by phone and email address. |
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Getting Started |
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Before attempting to label
a real artifact, you should locate a smooth-faced stone, which you can
practice on. When you're comfortable that you're getting the desired results
with your "practice stone" proceed with labeling the real artifacts
in the following fashion. First identify side A and side B of the artifact.
(Side A is the side you intend to show if the artifact was placed in a
display case, while side B is the "less attractive" side of the artifact.)
The label should be placed on side B. Locate a fairly flat section on side B
for the label. Try to avoid ledges and hinges for the label area because ink which gets into these areas will
be most difficult to remove. Choose the flattest area you can find. (Tip: If
the artifact is broken, see if it's feasible to put the label on the broken
edge, leaving both faces of the artifact "clean") |
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How To Use The Calligraphy Pen |
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First, press the pen tip
into the pen's plastic body. Shake up the bottle of paint. Dip the tip of
the pen into the paint far enough to fill the pen tip's "reservoir". There
are a couple of tricks I use before actually trying to label the artifact.
Normally, the very first stroke from a freshly loaded pen tip comes out too
thick, whereas the second stroke is usually much finer and gives much more
desirable results, so, while holding the artifact between my thumb and index
finger, I "dab" the entire bottom of the pen tip's reservoir on the base of
my thumb, then I dip the very tip of the pen into the ink on the base of my
thumb and I then touch the very tip of the pen to my thumbnail to "prime"
the flowing of the ink from the pen's tip. Then I gently touch the tip of
the pen to the artifact to draw-out a bead of ink. The pen should not
actually touch the artifact, but ideally one should let the ink/paint be
"drawn" from the pen tip onto the surface of the artifact with
each stroke. (This DOES take
some practice !) Once the label is completed, let the paint dry for 3 to 5
minutes, then cover the label with a thin layer of clear nail polish so that
the label is "water proof". |
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How To Log Personal Finds |
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First of all, start a new
"Personal Finds" Logbook, as personal finds can usually be logged in more
detail than purchased artifacts. Be sure to leave the first 3 and the last 3
pages BLANK, for later notes and code explanations. Archaeological coding is
usually done by a combination of a State designator, County designator, Site
number and artifact number from this given site. I've discarded this method
in favor of the simplified "All Numeric" system with one slight addition; I
label the "Personal Finds" log books as "P1, P2, etc." (P standing for
"Personal") to differentiate them from other logs used to record purchased
artifacts. Be generous when recording personal finds. I always include a
detailed map of each site, along with "mileage measurements" (from given
"fixed"
points, such as an intersection) and land "features" of the site (hills,
creeks, groupings of trees, and so on) in order to facilitate easy location
of the site for future outings. I give a name to each site I've discovered
myself, and the detailed information and map are ONLY added to the very first log
entry for this site. I then add the site name to one of the first 3
blank pages and list the page number which contains the site's map and
description for the first log entry from this site.
If a site is especially productive, I also add the page numbers of
subsequent site trips, if those trips were productive and resulted in
"log-able finds". In subsequent site trips, I always mark the date of the
trip and the general condition of the site on that date before recording the
artifacts recovered during that trip. (Often the
condition of any site will change with the seasons, and some sites may
become more difficult to search due to vegetation growth or other factors
during a specific season.) |
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How To Remove Labels |
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If you've used the proper
type of water soluble ink (paint), nail polish remover on a Q-Tip should
remove the label completely and without a trace. BE SURE to try this on your
"Practice stone", to verify that you're using the proper materials !
Also, while labeling an artifact, if you're not happy with the results, use
a damp cloth to erase the label and try again. |
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Additional Miscellaneous Notes |
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Water soluble black ink
can be used, but I prefer to always use white, whenever possible. Be VERY
careful with rock items which have a "Porous" surface and DON'T try to label these at all !...
when labeling artifacts, you don't want to do ANYTHING to an ancient
artifact which is NOT TOTALLY reversible ! IF an artifact's surface is too
porous to label, I use one of the last 3 blank pages to list the item
numbers of "unlabelled" artifacts, so that their logbook entry can also be
located easily. (This is also the way to document artifacts which are too
small or too delicate to label.) A desktop magnifying glass with built-in
florescent lighting helps tremendously while attempting to make the
label as small as possible. Always remember: A properly labeled and
documented collection is MUCH more valuable than an un-documented
collection... and monetary considerations set aside, properly documenting
artifacts is the responsible thing to do; we are all simply "caretakers" of
these beautiful pieces of history, and they will pass into another
caretaker's hands at some point in time, so we should always strive to "pass
on" as much information as we can about each artifact thorough proper documentation to the next owner. |
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Final note: When a
labeling session is done, don't forget to wash out any left over ink from
the pen's tip, so that it will be ready to use in the next labeling session
! |
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The Tools: |
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The Labeling Session: |
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The Log Book: |
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Labeled Artifacts: |
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| For more museum
related information, please visit our friend, Curtis Smith, who has an
ABSOLUTELY FANTISTIC web page, for the Archaeologically inclined persons... just
click on his link below: |
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Texas Arrowheads and Indian Artifacts |
End of Museum Page
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