Featured Another Just a Rock, or...

Recent thread took me down another rabbit hole researching a piece I've never taken time to research before. I believe I have an example of a native american stone axe, so an example of what the other piece was trying to be. I believe this is called a "celt". Based on my limited knowledge, it appears that they think this would have been attached to a handle for use as an axe to chop wood. But it is SO comfortable in my hand that I wonder whether it wasn't used that way, without a handle? The gentle slope of the back is perfect for lining up with a thumb. Does anyone have any doubts about authenticity or better information on how this would have been used (hand or handle)?

 

@2manybooks ?

 

Looks right to me

 

I'm no kind of expert with stone items, but this looks pretty good to me. Others will know more, I'm sure.

 

Yes, a celt. They are similar to axes, but lacking grooves that would facilitate hafting. Made and used all over the prehistoric world, some examples have been found in Switzerland that preserve the antler sockets they were mounted in. Another distinction sometimes made is that axes were mounted with the blade edge parallel to the axis of the shaft, like a modern axe, while celts may have been mounted perpendicular, like an adze. I suppose there is no reason they could not have been used in the hand, but your hand would get pretty banged up depending on the work that was being done.

One nice thing about stone tools made by grinding - I don't think there are many people dedicated to making fakes. Too time consuming compared to knocking out flaked tools.

 

i concur.......& yes...hand held !!

 

I have one almost exactly like that except mine is narrower on one end.Yes it's a celt. Not sure what all it would have been used for, but I do not believe it would last very long if slamming it into a tree.

 

https://exarc.net/issue-2015-2/ea/f...ng-relearning-use-early-neolithic-stone-adzes

 

It looks good to me! I have one or two hanging around somewhere. I’m always a tad skeptical of stone Native American artifacts. I’m sure there’s a lot of real stuff out there but I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of fake stuff too. Not to say yours is, just in general it seems like there’s some sketchery in that market. I would imagine they used them both in hand and in handle depending on their needs. It needed to be well balanced to be effective either way and they certainly had plenty of time to perfect the shape. Here’s a good read on celts: http://www.jimmausartifacts.com/the-piedmont-indian-celts/

 

Slightly off topic....but a few years ago I was at an auction, a very well-known auction house for native items, especially NW Coast. A collector had consigned them about 50-100 ancient stone items. One of their in-house appraisal experts told me in confidence that the auction house thought a lot of the items were questionable as to origin or authenticity, but that they had to list them as the consignor represented them. (And of course they, like all major auctioneers, had a detailed authenticity disclaimer in their auction terms).
It is notoriously hard to authenticate stone items without expensive scientific tests. Besides the possibility of outright forgery, it is very easy to think an item, such as a grinding stone, is 5,000 years old from Arizona, when it is really 150 years old, from Mexico.
I didn't bid on any of the stone items; I just don't know enough about stone....but I wouldn't be surprised if at least half of them were other than described by the person who had collected them.

 

I am no expert but many of these stones are found in our fields around here (mid Missouri) from around 10,000 years ago when the glaciers were receding and the native american tribes hunted along the melting edge. basically axe heads. Used for breaking bones for the morrow to cutting down trees. Not all axe heads have grooves for attaching to a handle.