Is this an artifact?

[Dusty Britches]

The other day I was walking on my gravel driveway and this caught my attention because of the sharp edge. I picked it up and normally would just look at an unusual rock and toss it back down but this one was really different. When I held it, my thumb and fingers just naturally fit into the depressions as pictured. A lot of the gravel in our area comes from pits that have produced some amazing artifacts so I wonder ....



^^ The edge here is fairly sharp, although it appears damaged in the lower part. On the next photo, the indentation that my thumb fits into.




But then again, maybe it is too small for any tool.





Kinda neat.

[kruppa24]

Not an expert, but possible a scraper or just a broken rock

[lanceodom]

Looks worked to me. Need the experts to chime in.

[muzzlebrake]

I'ma gonna say no. All chert rocks have moisture and when frozen will crack or break due to the expansion of the frozen moisture. Any surface chert rock that has been frozen will have these cracks and when run over by car tires or other machinery will break or flake. Although it does have a cortex on the outside it does not look like a piece of chert that a knapper would bother with and the flaking at the edges don't look to me like what a flint knapper does. I ain't no expert on rocks but I have done a bunch of flint knapping and made piles of gravel. I never made anything that resembles that but I find hundreds similar to it on the pipelines thru the deer lease in Sterling County where trenching and grading has been done. Most of it I call mudstone and not good or fit for knapping points or blades.

[PYBUCK]

It can be whatever you want it to be, but it looks like a jagged rock to me.

[Texas Grown]

Possible preform. Can you post a pic of the other side? I think I'm only seeing one side.

[Pineywoods]

Possible preform. Can you post a pic of the other side? I think I'm only seeing one side.

This. I think it also could possible be a preform. The pics only show one side though and it would be helpful to see the rest of it.

[Dusty Britches]

Here's the back side

[muzzlebrake]

Here's the back side

Seeing as how the cortex is still covering the backside this may be a low grade type of chert. Probably not a preform since the cortex has not been flaked away. It's possible some ancient may have tried to use it as a fire starter but more likely it was broken by machinery somehow. Knowing the location where it originated from might give a clue. Like if it were hauled in for road bed material or dug up from pipeline trenching.

[Pineywoods]

Here's the back side

Most likely not an artifact. I don't believe this was worked by man.

[muzzlebrake]

A preform would resemble, sort of, the knife preform laying on my lap. It would be worked from both sides and thinned getting ready for final flaking and notching. I was showing the guides down on Briscoe Caterina how to make primitive tools.

[Dusty Britches]

thanks yall

[Texas Grown]

Good eye, Tracy. Maybe the next one...

[Cola Blanca]

Like said not an expert but have found alot of scrapers and that don't look like an artifact to me sorry.....close tho

[Cola Blanca]

All the half moon and round ones are scrapers


This new format sucks