Mahoning County Cache

[meetmaker]

ToCS; Four tool cache, Mahoning County, Ohio 200/15/5 2011.
I have been fortunate to find two small caches this year. Some of you might remember my Jefferson County Cache? Cache, in both instances I mean to be tools found closely associated, able to be collected from one bending of the back. Luck is not the only reason. I have been trying to learn to look for tools that are flakes, not just tools that have been flaked.
These tools are from an assemblage I call 200/15/5 2011. These are from the fifteen acre part.
A picture of this site is forming of a people who used river pebble cherts for small tools. I have previously posted blades, cores,and core refreshing flakes of these cherts. For larger tools they turned to coarse stones. I have also posted anvils and hammerstones associated with both industries.
Of the many good questions about these artifacts one of the best is why use these when cherts were available? An obvious answer would be that they were not available. The local cherts are river pebble nodules about fist sized of uncertain quality. Some rare odd larger pieces can be found as glacial errata. There are outcroppings of Plum Run Chert two days walk to the south west. Why wasn't this source utilized by these people? Even when I smoked I wouldn't have ( maybe not) walked two days for a pack of cigs. Rather than make the trek these coarse stones might have been "good enough". Another simple answer is that they didn't know of the outcroppng. Or, maybe there wasn't enough people in the landscape to make trade possible. It could even be that the outcropping was held by an unfriendly tribe. This can help make sense out of these fringe artifacts.
Then, we have the four small tools of this cache.
Pictured on a one centimeter grid, these artifacts are all of glacial errata. Why choose these materials when each could have been made better from pebble cherts? I submit for your consideration: AESTHETICS Please remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[meetmaker]

A simple flake struck from a rock as if a segment of an orange and naturally backed. The edge shows signs of use. Upper Mercer Chert would have made a better scraper, but mercer chert is grey. Grey is the essence of colorless. This material when new would have been a deep dark green and the edges of its crystals would have sparkled in the light. Useful and pretty.

[meetmaker]

Another flake, like a segment of an orange, triangular in cross section. Nicely tapered to a triangular bit similar to some steel engraving tools. The outer edges show some wear. I was readily able to bore a hole through a loose piece of Maple bark with this, barely wore any patina off. When new this tool would have been bright white and likely resemble an animal tooth to the bearer. Just the thing for poking holes.

[meetmaker]

A sweet little flake blade, the photos do not do it justice. Unifacial with a central spine and multiple cutting edges. There is a tongue like element seemingly made for specialized cutting needs. The material is some translucent mineral of a pure green hue. I am sorry about the photos, for those who appreciate flake tools this one would have to be seen. It's a beaut.

[meetmaker]

The one tool in this cache whose material is superior to Flint for the purpose. Made of Quartz this would scratch about anything. Please notice how delicate and sharp the tooth end is crafted. Clumsy hands would damage a tool like this one. It belonged to an expert craftsman. It may be also that the bearer would have been intrigued by some surface features.
Yes, Cherts were available, even small inferior pebble cherts would have provided good material for these tools. These materials were used by the Ancient Artisans because they wanted to use them. I believe because they found them attractive. Maybe a tool set like this has some specific purpose? I have wondered if this set was just for show, like a gold Rolex. This cache does tell me that these Ancients had a sense of beauty and Art.

[arrow719]

Some people have all the luck.......Congrats!!!

[mbrown1833]

I'm not feeling well.

[Indianasmith]

Geofacts and debitage.

[paleoman10]

blah

[uniface]

That decent chert may have been available two days' walk from there was probably "academic" to someone who was likely to lose his head as somebody's trophy if he ventured far from his own band's territory and got caught there.

Until the tide began to turn in the Late/Terminal Archaic era, the passage of time from EA on was marked by increasingly smaller territories (with consequent reliance on available resources) and increasing inter- (and intra-)group violence. People who don't take trends like that into account are making it up as they go along.

There is a difference between looking and seeing. Everybody looks. But there is a learning process required in order to see and recognise the significance of the other-than-bifacial-points artifacts that comprise 99% of the archaeological record. Those who fail (or refuse) to put the time and effort into that are harming nobody, and probably keeping their lives comfortably simple. But their opinions are of not much educational value.