Native American, Midwestern to Southern United States, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. A knapped chert hoe or spade of hefty form, with a rounded butt and a bifacial shape made from a warm tan and beige-pink stone. The peripheries of the tool are carefully flaked to form sharpened edges- especially along the straight lower edge for use as a blade- and the surfaces have developed a pleasing polish and luster. Hoes like this tool were used for moving large swaths of earth for agricultural or irrigation needs, and the hefty form suggests it was perhaps bound to the end of a wooden pole at one time. Knapped stones are made using percussion, striking them with other stones; despite the simplicity of this process, it required great skill to achieve such tools. Size: 7.75" L x 3" W (19.7 cm x 7.6 cm)

Provenance: private South Carolina, USA collection

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#171559

Chips and abrasions commensurate with age and use, otherwise intact and very good. Areas of polished smooth patina.