Questions about campsites and artifacts

[douglaslefler]

Hi I have been artifact hunting for a little over a year know and I have some questions regarding the amounts of artifacts found at a camp/village site. I have found either a campsite or village site where I have found artifacts as well as thousand of pieces of flint. My question is that although there is a unimaginable amount of flint flakes and cores I have found very few decent artifacts, why? I have found one perfect arrowhead that I believe to be archaic, maybe a dozen or so decent tools and about eight preforms. I am very happy that I was able to find these but with so much flintknapping debris I am very surprised that I have not found more. The way I am finding these artifacts is by digging and I have spent many many hours and days doing so to find the artifacts that I have. I have watched videos on youtube of people digging spots that I believe are similar to the one I dig and they find tons of good frameable artifacts. I know this is a good spot because there was a archaelogical dig many years ago on the property next to mine. I am getting frustrated and confused and any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

[ToThePoint]

Sounds to me like you are in a knapping site not a camp site. OR a knapping area, not the every day living area. It is where the natives did all the knapping, or creating of preforms.

The good news is that there is probably a Camp site really close.

Think about it. Would you really want all those razor sharp chips scattered around were you and your kids eat, sleep and play?

[wiseshanks]

Me and a buddy of mine recently tried a new spot and stumbled onto a HUGE campsite. Flakes and flint cobbles littered an area of about 100x400 yards. I've never seen more debitage in my life. However, after two hours of looking, we found nothing but a hammerstone. There had been someone else look the area before thoroughly, so that probably played a big role in why we found no points. I personally think that camps mainly yield brokes and tools more so than frameable points. I'm sure they made the points at camp, and lost or broke them hunting elsewhere. My advice is that if there are any waterways, i.e. Rivers or streams nearby, hunt them. You might have better luck finding points there.

[wiseshanks]

Originally Posted by ToThePoint

Sounds to me like you are in a knapping site not a camp site. OR a knapping area, not the every day living area. It is where the natives did all the knapping, or creating of preforms.

The good news is that there is probably a Camp site really close.

Think about it. Would you really want all those razor sharp chips scattered around were you and your kids eat, sleep and play?

That makes perfect sense to me! We need to go back and broaden our search to find the actual camp.

[ToThePoint]

Originally Posted by wiseshanks

That makes perfect sense to me! We need to go back and broaden our search to find the actual camp.

I would guess within a hundred yards or so there would be a camp. Unless you are in a quarry.

there are worse places to hunt. One of my buddies hunts a knapping area, and finds lots of good points. I have found a couple brokes and unfinished points with him. I was with him when he found the most perfect point either of us has. It looks like it was just made. At worse JUST resharpened. I doubt it was ever hafted. I do not know much about point types or grading, but I imagine this thing has to be a G10. MINT condition. If I wasn't with him when he found it, I wouldn't believe it was authentic. most perfect point I have ever held. (never been to a lithic show)

Like you it gets frustrating sometimes for me to flip 10,000 pieces of flint to find a point. It is like doing the worlds biggest "where's waldo" puzzle. I mainly hunt a creek. If I see Novaculite or any worked rock, it IS an artifact of some type. There is no novaculite source for a few miles from my spot, and I am pretty close to where the creek starts. At this spot I have NEVER found a flake. Not one. Of course I can go 10 trips and not see anything, but when I do find 'em, it is pretty obvious.

Don't give up on the flake area, but I'd venture around a bit and see what I could find. Like a near by creek or hilltop.

[arrow719]

That's just the way it is when arrowhead hunting. It sure does get irritating but at least it keeps you going because you KNOW there has to be something there.

[Scotto]

In my opinion, the 'gravy' points on the surface have already been mopped up. Most of them anyhow.
I have about 4 campsites along the river here to hunt, and I've heard stories from people who grew up on these properties that found all sorts of perfect points, about 50-60 years ago. And who knows what has been picked up since then. Now I find a lot of debitage, and not a whole lot else unless the ground gets stirred up a little for one reason or another. One area the ground gets occasionally turned over by farm equipment, and a couple other areas the cattle mush the ground up after rains, or flip things out while walking down the bank to the river.

My experience has been that the knapping areas may be rather large, but close by the campsites. You can find points that were broken during manufacture and other discards near the debitage areas, and sometimes even whole points if you are lucky. But picture the area and how the camp may have been used back then. Like everyone else, they had to practice their skills, and I'm sure points flipped off of the arrows or atlatl spears and wound up someplace. After whole points were made, some were lost in the grass or leaves, just like we lose change (or in my case cell phones, sunglasses, truck keys, etc.). So where you find the pile of debitage, keep working your way around. You'll find them.

Maybe the dig you mention on the property next to yours is where the campsite was at? Maybe concentrate your hunt the closest you can hunt to that spot and see if you find anything. Just a thought.

[douglaslefler]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I believe that you all are right, and that this was a knapping area. I never thought about the fact that they would not want to flintknapp around where they were actually living. This makes perfect sense. Now that I know this I have a better idea of what I am dealing with and where I should start looking. Thank you all again.

[drdave514]

I've gotten the impression, from a few campsites, that the knapping area tends to be a spot closer to water than the actual living camp and also serves as a "look out" point along the water. It's really only a guess but that's how it appeared to me.

[Mud Hawk]

Don't give up douglaslefler. I hunt a knapping site and as the good doctor says... it's close to water. I haven't pinned down the main camp though... yet. I only find a solid relic once a month even with hunting 3 days a week. They add up over time though.