hatchet head – cabeza de acha

hatchet head - cabeza de acha

profile - perfil

top profile - perfil arriba

edge profile - perfil filo

standing - de pie

width - anchura

Find coordinates (within a 5-meter radius): 38.415342, -6.442022

Description:This, like most of the Stone Aged items on the mountain, is composed of quartz. It’s cutting edge has been ground rather than flaked and it’s “face” is largely covered by a dark cortex. From above, as seen in the third image, it bears an impressive ovoid shape that speaks to its workmanship. It is dulled and/or notched at the usual places on its proximal and distal ends: the four corners between which securing twine could have been stretched to secure it to its haft. In fact, it is possible to see in the first image how these heavy cords crossed over the face of the hatchet. During their decomposition, the stone accrued cortex; this cortex (black) is fainter where the cords formerly were.

Speculation: A couple of points of interest have caught my eye with this item. Perhaps time is the culprit, or animal hooves, but I’ve notices some irregular marks on a couple of the faces. The first is visible in the second image. Near the proximal end and top surface (top-right in the image), there are a pair of wavy lines etched into the stone. Probably nothing as I’ve seen these marks on other stones where an animal has stepped on them and grated them against an underlying surface, causing scratches.

The second point of interest is visible in the fourth image. It occurs on the lower flat where twine would have passed (in the image, it’s on the same latitude as my thumb-nail). Probably it’s natural, but it looks to me like a crudely encircled cross symbol. Its lines are too straight for my little mind to ignore.

scraper – rasqueta II

scraper - rasqueta

sub-triangular proximal end - el extremo proximal sub-triangular

profile - perfil

point - punto

 

Find coordinates:N/A (SW face, near 600m elevation)

Description: Another small tool of the same form as noted in the previous post. This piece, however, is quartz and is worn and weathered further than the other example. It also is sub-triangular from its proximal end and again, the distal end appears to have been ground (rather than flaked) to a point which turns downward and to the side. Again, three distinct notches are visible on each “side”, which leads to me speculating that this tool was hafted during its use-life.

It is useless to try and date this item. Clearly it’s a stone-age tool, which is quite a space of time; ruling out the upper Neolithic, I’d guess it’s between 5,000 and 30,000 years old.

borer – taladro

adze/scraper - azuela/rasqueta

Find coordinates: N/A

Description: This small quartzite tool and others of its type found on the mountain remain a bit of a mystery to me. I can’t find any exact correlation online for its shape, but I can tell a bit about the item itself. It is sub-triangular and its proximal end is flattened, as seen in the bottom photo. It’s distal end is ground to a point which curves slightly downward, as seen in the second photo. There are three notches worn out of each edge; these notches roughly correspond and in the top photo, it’s possible to make out a line between the notches closest to the distal end.

Speculation: For the above reasons I believe this to have been a hafted tool of some kind. It’s point is fit for scraping (or boring), so perhaps it would have been fit for hide-working. It’s fruitless to try and date it…without the tools or context I’d suppose it’s more than ten thousand years old.

 

Update 24 April 2012: After doing some mineral research it has come to my attention that this borer may be carved from chalcedony. Oh, and it’s a borer. ;-p