STOP! - Arrowhead Collecting On The Web

ACOTW
Arrowhead Collecting On The Web
Arrowhead Collecting On The Web
TM
Two Pairs Of Matching Arrowheads, Each Of The Same Stone,
In The Same Style. Can You Tell The Ancient From The New?
These two pairs of points are
magnified about 3 times their
actual size, so that we can look
closely at a few details which can
help us note age and authenticity.
Again, the first thing which we
can observe is the surface of the
stone from which each point is
knapped. The colorful agate
points on the left have a fresh
surface in all visible locations.
The edges and corners are sharp,
crisp, clean and undamaged.
A few hinge flakes remain at the
end of the pressure flake scars.
These are the translucent, thin
pieces hanging on still; they
appear almost white in contrast to
the solid material around them.
There are a couple of crushed or
hanging-on hinge flakes in the
notches of the left side point in
this pair.
In comparison, the entire surface
of each red and tan jasper point in
the right photograph, rather than
bright and fresh, features a duller
and aged finish on the stone; this
is the patina left by exposure to
the elements. Even though these
points were sheltered in a cache
when found, the passage of time
has dulled the surface. This is
visible in the photographs.
In addition, there are no
remaining hinge fracture pieces
still hanging on. The hundreds of
cool winters and hot summers in
northern California have seen
enough moisture expansion and
contraction to peel them away.
It is evident that each pair of
arrowheads was made of the same
source stone, and that each set was
designed and knapped by the
same hand, probably at the same
time. For an ancient set of
arrowheads, this was a remarkable
and amazing find. They were
found by Pat Welch in Siskiyou
County of northern California in
1970, in an apparent cache, with
several other undamaged points.
The two agate points in the left
photograph were made by the
author in 2009, from two small
slabs cut from the same stone.
Volume I, Number 7 11
November 2009