Native American, Midwestern United States, possibly Arkansas or Ohio, Mississippian culture, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. A remarkable hoe head or digging tool, hand-knapped and polished from creamy white and gray flint to boast a lustrous burnish. The hefty implement displays an elongated profile with a broad, curved blade edge at one end that tapers to a corseted body and a bifurcated butt. Both faces are convex and exhibit a random flaking pattern. Knapping involved hitting a harder stone against the chert to flake it to the desired form. Although a simple process, it required great skill and patience to achieve the desired shape without shattering or chipping off too much! The narrow neck could allow the stone to be hafted onto a pole to make a tool suitable for utilitarian use. Size: 8.7" L x 4.2" W (22.1 cm x 10.7 cm)
Provenance: private Brevard, North Carolina, USA collection
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance),
we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#171085
Condition
Chips, nicks, and losses, commensurate with age and use. Otherwise, very nice with some smooth surfaces.