Expert: Ralph Salier - 4/7/2010

Question
QUESTION: Mr. Sailer,

My father gave me years ago a large stone hammer head weapon/tool that was found in Southern New Jersey (likely on a farm) about 30-40 years ago. I have attached some photos. At its longest point it is about 6-1/2", and its widest point is 3-1/2". I would think it weighs at least 2 lbs, and is in very good condition. I have no interest in selling this item so the value is not important, but I would like to know more about the piece if possible.


Thanks for your help,

Chris

ANSWER: Hi Chris,

I was born and raised in Southern NJ.  So, I am very familiar with this form.  This is an ax preform.  From its from, I would say that it is an early to middle Archaic preform some 4000 years old.  It appears to be fully girded with a groove which would be the key indicator of age.  The middle and later versions do not have  the fully formed groove going all the way around.  

As a preform, the groove was made first since if it broke during the making of the groove, it was simply tossed or turned into a hammer stone of a different type.  Unfortunately I am not able to determine what it is made of.  Often, these were made of Cohansie Quartzite or a dense igneous rock brought in from northern NJ.  An alternative is that it was made out of the local iron rock/sand stone and did not work for their initial application.  It could  then have been used as a hafted bone breaker or for some other use.  As a hammer, it would have had limited  uses.  

As a preform, this would then have been chipped around the "cutting edge (the narrow end)" and then ground.  This is a labor intensive operation which would t hen have produced a fine edge good enough f or cutting down trees or chopping wood out of a log to make a canoe or for building structures.  I have found a number of finished axes of this type both preform, in process and completed.  I have also found some that were broken in manufacture.  Cohansie Quartzite is very tough stuff and can be ground into a very high polish and a very sharp blade.  In a dig along the Maurice River near Millville NJ, I cut my hand on the very edge protruding thru the soil and nearly invisible, much to my surprise.  

If you would, could you send me some close ups of the front edge as well as a close up of t he stone itself, I'd like to see if I can identify the type of stone.

Thanks.
Ralph

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ralph,

Thanks for the information. I think I can only attach one image at a time, so I will send you two different emails. How should I store something this old? I have always handled it assuming it was maybe a 200-300 years old. I have attached a photo showing the edge from the top down. I have a feeling it is made of iron rock/sand stone.

Thanks again, Chris

Answer
Hi Chris,

Yes this is definitely an axe preform.  The material is a cohansy quartzite and I can even tell you the quarry i came out of.  It came from a quarry near Mulica Hill NJ where an over burden of this quartzite lies above a green stone marl deposit filled with fossils.  The quartzite also tends to be rather fossiliferous until you get to the upper layers which lies just below an iron stone deposit.  

The groove was "pecked" into the stone using a harder igneous rock that probably came from up north and traded south.  The blade appears to have been chipped and pecked and they have begun to grind it.  It is approx. 3/4 complete and was just waiting for final grinding to the finished blade.

It is some 4 to 5 thousand years old.

You can mount it in a "flag box" or some similar deep box  with a glass or plastic front.  You will need to use a wire loop or U bolt to hold it in the box firmly.  You can put a light colored cloth behind it to help it show up. in the display box.

Ralph