Fig. 47.—Celt, showing blade thick near edge.Fig. 48.—Celt, showing blade thick near edge.
Fig. 47.—Celt, showing blade thick near edge.Fig. 48.—Celt, showing blade thick near edge.
Fig. 47.—Celt, showing blade thick near edge.
Fig. 47.—Celt, showing blade thick near edge.
Fig. 48.—Celt, showing blade thick near edge.
Fig. 48.—Celt, showing blade thick near edge.
Forms 5 and 6 were used as adzes; forms 7 and 8 are the same methods as employed in hafting grooved axes.
A mounting similar to form 4 is seen in some Alaska specimens of celt-scrapers in which the implement is fastened to a piece of wood so as to project a short distance, and used like a plane. In all these, the celt is very firmly fastened to the handle with sinew or rawhide, which, when put on green, contracts with great force and binds like wire.
As to the forms of celts, no division is practicable based on anything but their entire appearance. The following descriptions and tabulations represent the material of this kind in the Bureau collection:
A.Round or nearly round section, pointed or flattened at the top, blade rapidly thickening from the edge; a few are polished at the top, but most of them show marks of a maul or hammer; all have been highly polished; all of this class were probably used as wedges, as their shape renders them more fit for this purpose than for any other; thebattered tops indicate such usage. The few not showing such marks may have been set into a bumper of wood or horn, or used with wooden mauls. They vary in length from 2½ to 7½ inches. They are represented by the specimen shown infigure 47, of argillite, from Lincoln county, Arkansas; there are also one from a mound in Sumter county, Alabama (figure 48), and one from Kanawha valley, West Virginia, both of serpentine and elliptical in section, though the form of the edge puts them in this class. The following specimens are typical representations of the class:
Fig. 49.—Celt, showing long, slender form.
Fig. 49.—Celt, showing long, slender form.
B.Long, narrow, elliptical section, pointed top, curved or straight edges, sides straight or gently curved. None of these seem to have been put to any rough use, as the edges are quite sharp and the entire surface is well polished; length from 4¼ to 12½ inches. The type is illustrated byfigure 49, of argillite, from a mound in Monroe county, Tennessee.
C.Thick, almost round section, round-pointed top, nearly straight to sharp-curved edge, sides gently curved, widest at edge or just above. Most of these show marks of use as cutting tools or hatchets. Inmany the top has been roughened as if for insertion into a hole cut in a piece of wood; others have this roughening around the middle or immediately above, leaving a polish at both ends, and these were hafted probably by means of a stick or withe twisted around them. The roughening is a secondary operation, having no relation to the making of the implement; it was produced by pecking after the surface was polished. In a few cases it extends from the top well down the sides; but usually it reaches but a little way below the top, or else is in a circle around the body of the celt. Most of them have sharp edges; a few have edges either chipped or blunted and polished, showing long usage. Two from Kanawha valley (one roughened for handle) have the edges worn in on one of the faces until they almost resemble gouges; but that they were not intended as such is shown by the concavity being nearer one side and not reaching entirely across. The length ranges from 4½ to 10 inches. The type is illustrated byfigures 50and51, both of sienite, from Lauderdale county, Tennessee.
Fig. 50.—Celt, nearly round section.Fig. 51.—Celt, nearly round section.
Fig. 50.—Celt, nearly round section.
Fig. 50.—Celt, nearly round section.
Fig. 51.—Celt, nearly round section.
Fig. 51.—Celt, nearly round section.
This may be regarded as the typical form of celt for eastern United States, and its geographic distribution is exceptionally wide, as shown in the table.
The Bureau collection includes the following specimens of this class:
D.Of the form last described, except in being much thinner; some have the tops battered, showing use as wedges; length from 3 to 9 inches.
Fig. 52.—Celt, showing nearly diamond section.
Fig. 52.—Celt, showing nearly diamond section.
E.Pointed oval, or nearly diamond section, sides straight or slightly curved; length 6 to 12½ inches. Few as these are, they vary considerably in appearance. The group is illustrated byfigure 52, showing a specimen of brown flint, containing numerous small deposits of chalcedony, from Benton county, Tennessee; polished over the entire surface, the edge highly so.
In addition, there are the following examples: From Caldwell county, North Carolina, one of porphyry and one of granite, the latter roughened on sides for handle; from McMinn county, Tennessee, one of gray flint, highly polished over its surface, except the top, which is much battered; from Cocke county, Tennessee, one of argillite.
F.Elliptical section, flattened or rounded top, edge curved or nearly straight, sides straight or gently curved, tapering from edge to top or in a few cases nearly parallel. These present many variations in finish and in evidence of use. Some are well polished over the entire surface; some have only the lower part polished; while some are entirely without polish except at the extreme edge. In some the top is battered; some have the surface roughened for handle at the top, others around the middle, still others all over the upper half or even more than half. One from McMinn county, Tennessee, has a roughly pecked shallow groove at the middle. Several have the edgevery blunt, the faces at the edge form almost a right angle; these are thickest very near the edge and become gradually thinner toward the top. Most of this kind are from Caldwell county, North Carolina; the same form coming also from Monroe county, Tennessee, and from Savannah, Georgia. The length is from 3 to 7½ inches.Figure 53, of compact quartzite, from Monroe county, Tennessee;figure 54, of granite; andfigure 55, of sienite, from Caldwell county, North Carolina.
Fig. 53.—Celt.Fig. 54.—Celt.Fig. 55.—Celt.
Fig. 53.—Celt.Fig. 54.—Celt.Fig. 55.—Celt.
Fig. 53.—Celt.
Fig. 53.—Celt.
Fig. 54.—Celt.
Fig. 54.—Celt.
Fig. 55.—Celt.
Fig. 55.—Celt.
G.Of the same general pattern as the last, except that the sides widen just before reaching the edge, giving a “bell shape” (figure 56). The length is from 6¼ to 8 inches. In this group there are two specimens of granite, two of porphyry, and one of sienite, all from Yazoo county, Mississippi. Two have their tops roughened.
Fig. 56.—Celt, showing “bell shape” and roughening for handle.Fig. 57.—Celt, showing rectangular section.
Fig. 56.—Celt, showing “bell shape” and roughening for handle.Fig. 57.—Celt, showing rectangular section.
Fig. 56.—Celt, showing “bell shape” and roughening for handle.
Fig. 56.—Celt, showing “bell shape” and roughening for handle.
Fig. 57.—Celt, showing rectangular section.
Fig. 57.—Celt, showing rectangular section.
H.Rectangular section, occasionally with the corners sufficiently rounded to give a somewhat elliptical section; top flattened or rounded; sides straight and parallel or nearly so, sometimes very slightly curved. Most have polished surfaces; only three or four show any battering, or roughening for handle. A large one of hornblende from Lauderdale county, Tennessee, has the edge dulled and polished by use. Length is from 2 to 9 inches.Figure 57, of argillite, from a mound in Monroe county, Tennessee. The distribution of this class of celts is wide, as shown by the following table:
I.Thickest at top (wedge form), section elliptical or nearly rectangular; sides straight or curved, widest at edge or nearly parallel. A few are roughened for handling, and one or two are battered at top by hammering; most are small. The type is shown infigure 58, of granite,from Carroll county, Indiana. This class of celts also is widely distributed and diverse in material.
Fig. 58.—Celt, showing wedge-shape.Fig. 59.—Celt, showing half-elliptical section.
Fig. 58.—Celt, showing wedge-shape.Fig. 59.—Celt, showing half-elliptical section.
Fig. 58.—Celt, showing wedge-shape.
Fig. 58.—Celt, showing wedge-shape.
Fig. 59.—Celt, showing half-elliptical section.
Fig. 59.—Celt, showing half-elliptical section.
J.Flat on one side, convex on the other, giving a semi-elliptical section; sides nearly parallel; top flat or rounded. These were evidently intended for scrapers; none are at all chipped or battered from use, and with very few exceptions the whole surface is highly polished. The flint and jasper specimens, which have been first chipped into shape, have the facets and edge as smooth as though finished on an emerywheel. Similar forms, except with flat instead of convex upper surfaces, are known to have been used as adzes, but these have no marks of such use. The length ranges from 2 to 8 inches, but most are small. The type is shown infigure 59, of brown flint, from a grave in Alexander county, Illinois.
K.Similar to last, except that the sides come to a point at the top; length, 3½ to 9 inches. Very few of either pattern are above 5 inches long, the larger ones being mostly of flint (figure 60, of sienite, from Warren county, Ohio).
L.Sides concave, top narrow. Nearly every specimen has the upper portion pecked rough; one from Bradley county, Tennessee, and another from Mississippi county, Arkansas, are entirely polished. The latter has the scraper-form edge to be described later and is of exceptionally large size; it measures 5½ inches, being the only one exceeding 5 inches in length.
M.Top flat, round, or pointed; the blade usually begins a little below the middle, and is perfectly smooth in every case; in some the blade is not over an inch in length, probably reduced by continual sharpening. They may have been scrapers, though they do not have that form; ifused as weapons they were probably set into the end of a piece of antler, which, in turn, was set in a club. The type is shown infigure 61, of argillite, from Monroe county, Tennessee.
Fig. 60.—Celt showing half-elliptical section.Fig. 61.—Celt, showing concave sides.
Fig. 60.—Celt showing half-elliptical section.Fig. 61.—Celt, showing concave sides.
Fig. 60.—Celt showing half-elliptical section.
Fig. 60.—Celt showing half-elliptical section.
Fig. 61.—Celt, showing concave sides.
Fig. 61.—Celt, showing concave sides.
N.Ground down thin, with a flat-elliptical or nearly rectangular section; sides straight or slightly curved, nearly parallel or tapering considerably to the top, which is either rounded or flattened. All are polished over the entire surface; none show any marks of use as wedges or hatchets, and most of them are too delicate for such use. The longer ones can be readily grasped in the hand, and are as well adapted to stripping off the hide of an animal, dividing the skeleton at the joints, or stripping the flesh from the bones, as anything made of stone can be; while the smaller ones, set in a handle to afford a grip, would answer the same purpose. There are three which are sharp at both ends, one having one symmetrical and one scraper-form edge; one having a scraper-form edge at each end on opposite sides; and one of rather soft argillite, unfinished, which has marks of pecking, chipping, and grinding, showing that any of these methods were practiced, as was most convenient. All these are from eastern Tennessee. The features are illustrated infigures 62, of argillite, from a mound, Caldwell county, North Carolina;63, of black flinty slate, very hard, from a mound, Poinsett county, Arkansas; and64, of argillite, from a mound, Monroe county, Tennessee.
Fig. 62.—Thin polished celt.Fig. 63.—Thin polished celt.Fig. 64.—Thin polished celt.
Fig. 62.—Thin polished celt.Fig. 63.—Thin polished celt.Fig. 64.—Thin polished celt.
Fig. 62.—Thin polished celt.
Fig. 62.—Thin polished celt.
Fig. 63.—Thin polished celt.
Fig. 63.—Thin polished celt.
Fig. 64.—Thin polished celt.
Fig. 64.—Thin polished celt.
While there are perhaps no true gouges in the collection, there are some examples of a form between a celt and a gouge, illustrated infigure 65, of serpentine, from Caldwell county, North Carolina.
Implements of this form are known to have been used to tap sugar maples, and also to hollow out wooden troughs, and are very commonin the north, though less abundant in the south.20It is in those localities in which bark instead of logs was used for canoes that they are most numerous. Sometimes they were hollowed the whole length and used as spiles.21They were also employed instead of celts in hollowing wooden mortars and the like when a more regular concavity was desired.22
The aboriginal implements known as “chisels” are round, elliptical, or rectangular in section. The flint and jasper specimens are generally widest at the edge, the reverse being usually the case with those of other material. Most of them have marks of hammers at the blunt end, though some are polished at the top and a few, from eastern Tennessee, are sharp at both ends. The top (except in the double-edged ones) is usually flat, though a few are pointed or very thin, almost with cutting edges. Jaspers and flints are chipped, with the facets polished, the edges highly so. Any form may occur in any locality. Almost invariably they have scraper-form edges. The length is from 2 to 6 inches.
Fig. 65.—Celt, showing thin, gouge-form edge.
Fig. 65.—Celt, showing thin, gouge-form edge.
Typical examples are shown infigure 66, of yellow jasper, from a grave in Mississippi county, Arkansas;figure 67, of novaculite, from an unknown locality in Arkansas;figure 68, of serpentine, from Bradley county, Tennessee;figure 69, of sienite, from Caldwell county, North Carolina; andfigure 70, of gray jasper, from Bradley county, Tennessee. Some specimens are sharp and worn at both ends, and could have been used only with handles.
Fig. 66.—Celt, chisel-form.Fig. 67.—Celt, chisel-form.Fig. 68.—Celt, chisel-form.
Fig. 66.—Celt, chisel-form.Fig. 67.—Celt, chisel-form.Fig. 68.—Celt, chisel-form.
Fig. 66.—Celt, chisel-form.
Fig. 66.—Celt, chisel-form.
Fig. 67.—Celt, chisel-form.
Fig. 67.—Celt, chisel-form.
Fig. 68.—Celt, chisel-form.
Fig. 68.—Celt, chisel-form.
The Bureau collection includes the following specimens:
The high polish sometimes found on the top of a round-pointed celt may be due to its working slightly in the socket in its handle of wood, deerhorn, or other material.
Fig. 69.—Celt, chisel-form.Fig. 70.—Celt, chisel-form.
Fig. 69.—Celt, chisel-form.Fig. 70.—Celt, chisel-form.
Fig. 69.—Celt, chisel-form.
Fig. 69.—Celt, chisel-form.
Fig. 70.—Celt, chisel-form.
Fig. 70.—Celt, chisel-form.
By celts having a scraper-form edge is meant those having the edge to one side of the median line, due to constant use of one face. This face, at the edge, is in a straight line from side to side; it may have a chisel-like flattening, or may curve toward the middle of the celt for a short distance and then have the same form to the top as the other face, which is convex or curved, as in the ordinary hatchet-celt. They form a medium between celts whose faces gradually curve from top to edge, and the celt-scrapers which are flat on one side. Among the thicker celts this form is quite rare, though several, especially one from Kanawha valley, West Virginia (represented infigure 74), are quite pronounced. In the thinner specimens, however, a majority are of this pattern, while in some types, nearly all indeed, even those up to 6 inches long, are so beveled. The type, of which an illustration is shown infigure 71, is of very hard black slate; the same form is presented infigures 66and70.
From Bartow county, Georgia, is a scraper made from the edge of a celt which has been broken diagonally across from one face to the other. A stem like that of a spear-head has been formed by chipping away the sides of the part broken, which gives a convenient attachment for a handle; the original edge is unchanged except in the wear which has resulted from its new use.
The specimen shown infigure 72(of argillite, from McMinn county, Tennessee) is introduced on account of its undoubted use as a scraper, and because it is much smaller than some of the chipped flints thus classified, the edge being less than an inch wide; the sides are roughly incurved.
In Bradley county, Tennessee, there were found over 200 specimens of very small, thin, flat, waterworn sandstone pebbles, which were mostly in their natural condition, except that they had one side rubbed to a sharp edge. A few, more slender, were ground to a point. Some of them have a handle chipped out on the side opposite the edge, sometimes with nicks in it, made for attachment to a handle by means of a cord. Most of these specimens are less than 2 inches in length. No suggestion is offered as to their use.
Fig. 71.—Celt, showing scraper-form edge.Fig. 72.—Scraper.
Fig. 71.—Celt, showing scraper-form edge.Fig. 72.—Scraper.
Fig. 71.—Celt, showing scraper-form edge.
Fig. 71.—Celt, showing scraper-form edge.
Fig. 72.—Scraper.
Fig. 72.—Scraper.
A granite implement from Union county, Illinois, with nearly rectangular section, slightly curved sides, rounded corners, and high polish over the entire surface, having nearly the same thickness (about an inch) at every part, would seem to be a polishing or rubbing stone. There are, however, one from Warren county, Ohio, and three from Kanawha valley, West Virginia, of almost exactly the same size and pattern, which have had one end ground off to a sharp edge; so the specimen may be only an unfinished celt. One of those from Kanawha valley has had the edge partly broken away, and one face has been pecked considerably in an attempt to restore it for use; but the intention was not carried out. Some celts, not of the scraper pattern, which have the edge to one side of the median line, are perhaps broken or blunted specimens redressed on one side only.
Fig. 73.—Scraper or adze, with projecting ridge.Fig. 74.—Adze or scraper.
Fig. 73.—Scraper or adze, with projecting ridge.Fig. 74.—Adze or scraper.
Fig. 73.—Scraper or adze, with projecting ridge.
Fig. 73.—Scraper or adze, with projecting ridge.
Fig. 74.—Adze or scraper.
Fig. 74.—Adze or scraper.
Figure 73exhibits a specimen of argillite from Carter county, Tennessee, probably an adze or scraper, with a projection to keep theimplement from being forced into the handle. The edge is symmetrical, though much striated. The specimen shown infigure 74(of granite, from Kanawha valley, West Virginia) represents a peculiar form. There are several like it in the collection, all but this one from islands in the Pacific.
On account of their shape and undoubted use, a class of celts, although neither pecked nor ground, is introduced. Many of them resemble, in most respects, the so-called paleolithic implements, though sometimes of better finish. They are made with a rounded top and nearly parallel sides; rudely triangular; or with the sides curved to a point at the top. The edge may be straight or curved, and is usually chipped, though sometimes ground; a few are chisel-shaped. Usually they show no signs of wear; when they do, it is always in the form of a polish at the larger end, or on the exposed facets. One of black flint, 8 inches long, from Kanawha valley, has a scraper-form edge, smoothly polished. Many, even of those scarcely changed from their original form and natural surface, have the edges dulled and polished from use as scrapers or adzes.
Fig. 75.—chipped celt.Fig. 76.—Chipped celt.Fig. 77.—Chipped celt.
Fig. 75.—chipped celt.Fig. 76.—Chipped celt.Fig. 77.—Chipped celt.
Fig. 75.—chipped celt.
Fig. 75.—chipped celt.
Fig. 76.—Chipped celt.
Fig. 76.—Chipped celt.
Fig. 77.—Chipped celt.
Fig. 77.—Chipped celt.
The collection includes the following examples: 36 of argillite, flint, porphyry, and compact quartzite, from Montgomery county, North Carolina, some with the wider edge sharp (figure 75, of flint); 12 of limestone and flint from Mason county, Kentucky; 70 of argillite, a few with the edges ground, from southeastern Tennessee (figure 76, from McMinn county); over 300 from Kanawha valley, nearly all of black flint, a few being of diorite or quartzite—some are partly polished, or have ground edges (figure 77, of black flint, from a mound).
With the exception of two from Iowa and a few from Preston county, West Virginia, the hematite celts in the collection are from Kanawha valley, and are small, ranging in length from 1 to 2¾ inches, except one 4½ and one 5½ inches. They are illustrated in figures 78, 79, 80, and 81, the last from a mound. Nearly all have been ground directly from thenodule or concretion in which this ore of iron so frequently appears. Occasionally one of homogeneous structure has been chipped into form before grinding, the facets in some cases being rubbed nearly away. Sometimes they have a rectangular outline, but usually the sides taper from the edge to the top by a gradual curve, or are parallel a part of the way and then taper either by a straight or, oftener, by a curved line. The section is rectangular or elliptical.