You do a great job of describing and explaining the manufacturing techniques and actual use of, the tools that you display! Thank you, from a graduate archaeologist!
I've watched another 3 or 4 of your videos today. Really enjoyed them! New to RU-vid (finally got a smartphone) I have years of "quality tv" to view now,lol. Really enjoy watching! Rjk.
joyrussel Thanks for keeping us sharp! Finally have new mics...hope sound gets better as you watch newer videos. You are appreciated. Please stay w/ us!
interesting show thanks for sharing your work i have found flint ridge Hopewell points here in the chesapeake bay on the islands i would love to finda Hopewell blade core but never have in 40 years only hopewell points
Doesn't mean they are not there. A serious question would be...are you finding blades, bladelets or tiny parts of either ? Sites are sooo complicated...the bladelets, specific workshop areas could be in adjacent fields or even just below the plow zone...smiles. What about tiny retouch chips...any?!
Thanks for coming aboard! One of many theories...seems to me, each needs careful examination. We are always searching for that important diagnostic info that moves us forward on solid ground. I have discovered that incorrect lines of thinking often times open up fresh new avenues of thought...always healthy to seriously listen to each new possibility. It keeps all of us sharp!
I’ve never heard of celts hafted to poles used as bark strippers. Interesting. And if you’re already using a celt to chop, scrape, chisel, and wedge, why not? I don’t know about dulling them for transport, though. The old guys were smart enough to do so many things to survive, but couldn’t understand keeping stone tools from banging together? Not to mention resharpening takes time and elbow grease that could’ve been avoided. Good video.
Thank you for your important imput! Ref celts; hafted VS socketed. The vast majority of all my celts indicate they were socketed...placed poll end first into the end of a bone or wooden object. The journals of some of history's past Jesuit priests indicate a tool was used for bark removal that was similar to the celt. We can only speculate. I have seen very, very few celts here in Ohio that indicate they were hafted. I have none. Transport of "tool kit "... Jury is still out as far as intentional dulling of the bit. And they may be out for long times! 😆. I have looked at, handled many celts w/ repaired bits, and usually much surface is either lost or signif changed with repair. I think w/ the appropriate abraider stone and some elbow grease a new edge can form rather quickly. May not look great but its repaired (depending on required job). Like you, I think they most likely wrapped important tools before short and long trips (still, accidents always seem to happen). And I seriously believe because of the wide dispersal and numbers of this tool (on and especially off the village sites) this may indicate that this tool, the celt, traveled w/ them frequently.
I have a feeling they were used for splitting bow staves. Bow staves were taken from straight sections of the trunk of trees like Osage orange, a celt would be perfect for splitting these trunks into bow staves.
Great info, thanks! A friend found some writings of an early frontier priest...he described a stone tool used to strip bark from trees. Pretty sure he was describing a celt....and we both know many of their tools aimed toward multiple use...smiles! I think you may be on to something...again, thank you. Stay on board!
Well done ! keep good notes and always take pics when possible These caches are most unusual ! Sounds as though your materials are the same this direction.
I was under the impression that most of the Celts took the place of the groved axes in the early woodland period. They were for chopping like the larger axe head but none hafted but driven into a smaller hole in the handle to secure it. But I really don't know. Thanks for the information. David
Thanks for your good information, always appreciated! I agree! As we move forward toward the Woodland time period, here in Ohio, grooved axes seem to decrease while celts continue to increase.The socketing of its pole end seems to be frequent and apparent. Even with the squared pole ends,the opening at /on its wooden attachment could also be squared to accommodate a better fit. From lg. heavy grooved axes to celts of all sizes...I continue to see modifications for this wood-working tool. By the way...I have not seen many grooved celts found here in Ohio. Perhaps they should be classified as most unusual?
I found a celt and double grooved ax near the Tennessee river in Knox County, TN. The celt's cutting or chopping edge appears nearly perfect but the opposite end has chips. As stated about multi use could the celt have been used as a chisel that was hammered with a wooden mallet into the bark of tree's to girdle the trees? Once the tree was girdle, killed, and somewhat dried it may have been felled by a fire at its base?
I asked my dad why they seemed to bury a bunch of them in caches? He said when they moved on they did that so they didn't have to carry all the heavy stones around. They'd move on to the next place where they had previous caches of them there and use those. He asked if I'd want to carry around a bunch of heavy stones and I said, hell no! He said Indians weren't any more stupid than I was...that settled it for me.
A lot of stuff likely got buried in debris after dwellings caught on fire. I find a lot of half kilned clay bits with no grit and holes from decomposed thatch (grass) that I have learned is most likely remnants of burnt down ancient dwellings made of logs, thatch and clay.
In my area of Mississippi you will not and I repeat will not find a Celt, or Axe. Gorgets are extremely rare and Bannerstone even more rare. The only natural material we have is small flint creek pebbles usually under 3" long. Small points and scrapers are about it. .
Greetings and welcome! Wow! That seems so very unusual to me. Seems that phenomena may be related to your ancient natural resources and perhaps the geological constructed landscape. Wondering if a good portion of your state was flood plain in ancient times...What Quad of Miss are you hunting? Yrs back I did considerable beaver trapping in the flood plains of the Miss Riv/ Arkansas...found many points but very, very few stone tools...pottery shards were fairly common.
Thanks Stefan for joining "The Family", smiles. I agree w/ your thinking. Ref the celt...I lean strongly toward a significant wood-working tool , to include de-barking trees. A wedge very senseably may be one of its multiple uses.The polish on its bit area supports this possibility, with that presence indicating a polish from usage but also for ease to insert and to pull out of wood. I think close examination of the poll might enhance more of our understanding. Here's another thought... once the initial slit in the wood is made, a wedge could be inserted to open it wide enough to insert an object (possibly flint), then pull the wedge out, leaving the item securely held for whatever purpose. The celt seems to be the most common stone tool in the plowed areas of my location and it seems to dominate all others as we move into the Woodland Time Period. Several years ago, I shared this tool w/ some of my Amish friends...all agreed, most likely, a wood-working tool. In my collection I have the very small to the very large ....all with wide diversity / structure at the poll end. ...the bit is mostly universally polished....some polls are crudely knapped w/ no polish. So many unsolved mysteries- guess that's what keeps us interested!
stone is heavy. if you have to move / travel on foot and everything you need you must carry the list gets small fast. as you walk the list keeps getting smaller as you go. go backpacking every gram counts.
I am smiling as I have back-packed all over the S Central, High Seirra Mts of S California. The weight always varied w/ ea trip...(needs, distance, elevations, time in the mts, amt. of up hills climbs and more).. Also, here in Ohio, rock weigh varies alot according to the rock-type; granite slate, etc.These tools varied considerably and had multiple uses. I think they carried essentials as needed...and like you said, trimmed down when ever they could. Interesting thoughts. Thanks !
What are your opinions on the hematite celts that are very common in south eastern Ohio? Most of them we find are extremely high polish and very small in size, some as small as two inches long. We still find the polished green and grey celts but normally they are 4” or longer.
Hematite...I know of quite a few found in Coshocton Co, nearly all are small. In Richland Co...very scarce, all small. Seems hematite is fairly common along the Ohio River...a friend lives in Mareitta and they find MUCH Hematite including all sizes and shapes (wide variety of "tools"). Many appear as expended red ocher artifacts. Those in our area are nearly all highly polished. The other celts you mention are VERY common this way, some totally polished and mostly 3-4 inches. The 1-2 inch celts are rare in both counties. Hope this covers your question. Thanks for sharing.
I can’t imagine hard stone would get broke on the bit from clanging around in an animal skin from walking ? I’d like to think it was from use ware doing wood working things, hitting the hell out out of trees.. i see the Celt as a portable axe, chisel, too heavy to carry too heavy to carry a big mondo axe if you were on the move. I think sharping would be very time consuming and that would not be practical, I don’t think they would dull each projectile point either if that theory holds true. I’d like to think they had plenty of hide to wrap there valuables in and pouches fashioned. But I guess we really don’t know?
Thanks Scott. Appreciate your thoughts! Ref: celt damage occured from multiple sources. The "snap" or "twist" breakage can often indicate the pressure applied, direction bent or lifted, and the direction it is forced / moved.(thinking of impatient users as well, lol ). I do believe they wrapped their tools in their kits (skins or grass). Having held/ observed 1000 plus celts from here in Ohio, it appears as though very, very few were ever hafted. I have none. However, a LARGE quantity indicate a socketing process at their "poll end". It is awesome to contemplate these processes.
I often find artifacts that have unifaced bits. One may call them adze but they don't look like the "standard" adze. I often find myself a bit frustrated after watching some videos, but you seem to talk my language. I have a friend who told me if you think you're an expert at this stuff your just fooling yourself!
Thank you, much appreciated! The design of these tools,in general,is actually quite vast. Celts like most other tools were often used beyond their initial intent, even modified for such additional needs..Is the term, " Swiss army knife" familiar to you? That term is often used to describe a paleo flint tool..multiple uses with one piece of flint, usually quite visable w/ the display of various knapping technologies.Here's something exciting... I was just reading a NEW journal released last week from an archaeological group currently working along the Huron River, west of Milan, Erie Co., Ohio. They had some serious micro examinations/ other high tech work completed on the celts from The Metz Site. And WOW! Strong possibilities of "kitchen" work associated w/ the CELT...and meat and fat processing...possibly chopping, mixing, etc. Seems we need to keep on thinking outside the box w/ both feet on the ground ( or at least one), smiles.The science is here. We simply need to find it!
@@fieldarchaeology101 Thanks for mentioning that. I was a bit mystified on how you dismissed them as being useful for butchering in the video. I’m a hunter and I butcher all my own meat. It’s very clear to me any way that these Stone Age tools could be very capable of separating the joints of large game. I imagine they would be mounted like a hatchet or an axe as opposed to how you described with the debarking tool. Certainly could have been used for both. Although I can’t see them getting damaged as we so often see if all they were used for was removing bark from trees. Hitting bones on the other hand could probably produce the impact fractures we so commonly see in the artifacts.
@@williambrandondavis6897Usually a hefty tool for big game joint seperation and/or sharp versitle knife most likely used. ..totally agree w/ you. Is it possible some celts were used for both (as needed) bone-ing and debarking? Some celts, here in Ohio, look like serious axes w/o grooves...big, thick and heavy .Great comment!
not skinning, fleshing. laying under a big piece of bark sounds like what a chimp would do. have you ever seen a chimp make a tool like that? so why not just shape the end of your stick and fire harden it to peal your bark. cheaper and more efficient.
" Chimp" ? Evidence seems to indicate our early prehistoric ancestors were most likely far smarter than us..textiles are a great example...Remember each generation passed along great wisdom / knowledge to each following generation and so forth..No radios, no T.V. "s, no internet, lol. We are near clueless about their every day lives. Historical records of Great Lakes Jesuit Priests...show the words of one explaining how they/ Indians removed long, wide sections of bark w/ stone tool at its end, pushing upwards,,,,seems pretty cool to me !Thanks John for all of your imput, much appreciated.
