Pre-Columbian, Ecuador, Quito region, El Inga site, Inga people, ca. 11,000 to 4000 BCE. This is an ancient stone axe head from the Inga, a Paleo-Indian culture of the Andes region! The stone is pecked and polished into an axe head, with a broad and sharped cutting edge and a rounded butt. The center has a soft groove encircling the entire circumference of the blade for hafting the stone on a pole with a cord. The Inga people were hunter-gatherers that lived in caves and open areas forming seasonal camps and workshops that produced lithic instruments such as spearheads, choppers, knives, and axes such as this piece. El Inga is one of the most important pre-Columbian sites due to its position that was along major trade routes. Size: 5" L x 3" W (12.7 cm x 7.6 cm)

Provenance: ex-Colonel William R. Cameron collection, California, USA; ex-Gill Family collection, California, USA, acquired 1980; private California, USA collection, acquired 2004.

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#145159

Chip and loss to blade end. Surface abrasions and pitting consistent with age and use. Old inventory numbers on surface and old labels.