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Spent 6 weeks trying to figure out if a rock was a hand axe and it was just a rock
So I picked up this chunk of flint near a creek outside Athens, Ohio and I was convinced it was a hand axe because one edge looked worked. I posted it to three different groups, drove it to a local university open house, and even bought a $22 jeweler's loupe to check for flake scars. Six weeks later a retired archaeologist finally told me it was a naturally fractured piece that got tumbled in the creek for who knows how long. I had a whole theory about it being a pre Clovis tool and everything. Has anyone else fallen down a rabbit hole on a rock that turned out to be nothing?
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the_tara10h ago
The magnet tip is a good one and I would add that you can also check the weight in your hand. Real worked flint feels denser and has a certain heft from the flaking process, while creek rock that sat in iron rich water for years gets this lighter, almost chalky feel once it dries out. I learned that the hard way after carrying around a "scraper" for two months that turned out to be a concretion. Now I do the magnet test, the weight test, and the tap test where you flick it with your fingernail to hear if it rings clear or just thuds.
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robertsmith10h ago
Some of those creek stained rocks will fool anyone because water tumbling can knock off flakes that look just like human work. Next time bring a magnet and check if it sticks, iron deposits around here sometimes fake that worked look.
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