Monday, March 28, 2011

Broken Axe Head at Gates Pond site (A)

Went back to site (A) (see here) to show it to FFC - who always has his own way of looking at things. Taking a closer look at some of the split wedged rocks, in the midst of them was a broken axe head resting on top of a small boulder:FFC thought this was being used to split rocks. Anyone recognize the style? I want to say this would give a date for when the site was in use. Here is the scene, broken axe head in the foreground:And a closeup of one of the wedged rocks:
The last time I saw something like this axe head was on another walk with FFC where he spotted a broken plow blade in a rock pile (see here). I makes me speculate about use of broken tools in rock piles. Searching around this blog, it appears that usually when I spot things in piles, FFC spots them first. Here he found a horseshoe in a pile. In my own defense, I did see the axe head first this time.

5 comments :

Anonymous said...

back in the day, i used to metal detect a lot in the woods. I would find much debris, mostly old farm equiptment. Instead of leaving it buried we would place scrap iorn on rocks so it would not be detected again. Lots of oxen shoes and plow blades, broken tools etc.etc. Maybe that is how that came to rest there? That is what it looks like to me.
Keith

pwax said...

In the midst of these rock piles and other features, I am guessing it was for a different purpose.

Tim MacSweeney said...

Stone isn't usually split with an axe, but then again trying to do so would break a wood axe. Do you mean the axe head might have been used as a wedge???

pwax said...

Tim, yes. If you look at the shape of the broken edge on the left, opposite from the cutting edge on the right, it looks like it might have been dented or hammered. I was not as ready as FFC to conclude something from that.

pwax said...

I should acknowledge that Keith has a point.