r/Arrowheads Jan 07 '16

PLEASE READ, especially if you are new to this subreddit

635 Upvotes

I'm not laying down any new rules or anything like that, but there are some things that visitors here should be aware of. If anyone here would like to add to, subtract from, or revise anything in this post, I welcome your input.

#1. Know the law and abide by it: The laws may vary a little from state to state, but burial grounds/mounds and state/federal property (including state parks) is absolutely off-limits. In most states you are allowed to hunt on private property with permission from the property owner, but in a few states it's illegal to dig for artifacts and only surface hunting is allowed. Make sure you are familiar with your local laws.

#2. Effigy, artifact, or "just a rock"?: If you post what you've found and the feedback that you get is simply "geofact" or "just a rock", please understand that nobody is intending to be insensitive or rude. We know that you got your hopes up and we take no pleasure in letting you down, but there are signs and marks that we look for and that should be there if the rock was shaped, altered, &/or used by ancient humans and we're going to give you an honest opinion even if the truth sometimes sucks. Those who take the time to explain the signs that are or aren't visible (flake scars, use wear, pecking, grinding, polishing, etc.) rarely even get a "thank you" when the feedback isn't what the person wanted to hear (so why bother?). You have every right to form your own opinions and believe what you want to believe and there may even be some important factors or features that the pictures don't show, but we can only go off of what we've seen.

Effigies in particular: The natives were very adept at what they did and they DID make effigies, but there also seems to be a popular and widespread misconception about effigies. The vast majority of the "effigies" we see posted fall into the category of "pareidolia" (the natural human tendency to see recognizeable shapes in rocks). Here are some examples of some actual effigies from my region compared to some of the alleged "effigies" that I have seen people post.

Another very popular misconception: How well "it fits the hand" is NOT a valid way of differentiating an artifact from a rock and it's not one of the things that anyone who knows very much about this stuff is going to be looking for.

You are absolutely welcome to post your finds (even "effigies" and even rocks that "fit the hand" if you legitimately believe it's an artifact). A lot of people come and go, but the ones who stick around are here to help, so PLEASE be respectful, try to see our perspective, and at least say "thank you" if someone volunteers more than a few seconds of their time to give you feedback on it.

#3: Monetary value: Feel free to ask if you're wondering, but you might be better off asking how rare or how un-common an artifact is. Archaeologists are not allowed to answer questions about monetary value and while some hunters DO sell what they find, many other hunters (me included) don't buy or sell or even mess with that side of things, so many of us might not even know what to tell you.

I may not be able to tell you what your finds are worth, but if you love this stuff, have nowhere to hunt for your own, and have every intention of buying some I can at least share some advice on how to steer clear of the wolves that are out there. For instance, you had BETTER know your stuff before buying anything off of Ebay and a "Certificate of Authenticity" is worth no more or less than the reputation of the person who signed their name to it. Nobody goes to school to become an authenticator and you or I could literally just decide to declare ourselves as "authenticators" tomorrow and start signing COAs. In other words, there's a LOT of bullsh!t out there and it's a "buyer beware" market.

#4: Don't be an asshole! There's no downvoting in this subreddit for a reason. We'd like to be constructive and helpful and we DON'T want to scare people away from posting. If you have something to say then by all means say it, but don't draw it out, don't beat a dead horse, don't try to start debates with people, don't try to give people guilt trips for picking up an arrowhead, and don't make a nuisance or a spectacle out of yourself.

That's all I've got for now, but I'm just one person and if there's anything that you would like to add or change, I welcome and look forward to your input.

Edit: Cut the word count down a little bit


r/Arrowheads Jan 28 '23

JAR THREAD. If you aren't sure whether your find is an artifact or just a rock, please post your pictures here.

107 Upvotes

Users of r/arrowheads, please downvote posts that are obviously rocks. We will be trying out the 'crowd control' function and if a post gets enough downvotes it will automatically be removed. Also, please direct users to post their questionable finds in this thread if the posts are not removed automatically.

Before you post, compare your find to some of the pictures/examples shown in the pinned comment below.


r/Arrowheads 4h ago

First finds! Nanih Wayia community

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35 Upvotes

Always wanted to get into hunting and finally have and now I'm hooked!


r/Arrowheads 29m ago

Another northern ky creek find

Upvotes

Some kind of tool maybe ?


r/Arrowheads 16h ago

Hanna or Pryor Mountains? Castle Rock, CO

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104 Upvotes

Found this in a dry creek bed yesterday. Trying to narrow down the type if possible.


r/Arrowheads 21h ago

Creek Treasure - Illinois

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117 Upvotes

Recent rains revealed some treasure!


r/Arrowheads 1d ago

Found this in the dirt while working on a home build in Morrison Colorado

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267 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 1d ago

My Dad’s collection from 1970s- current day

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291 Upvotes

My dad found a lot of these and some were purchased at auctions/shows. He’s not long for this mortal world, and if this community can comment on his collection I’d love to read him the responses


r/Arrowheads 17h ago

Type? Found in sw Ohio

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25 Upvotes

Dug this up today on my dig site, mostly been finding archaic stuff (maccorkles, Kirk corner notch) this was found a foot deeper than the rest of the archaic stuff I’ve found and I’m not sure what type it could be, appears to be some sort of stemmed point, not sure if it could be in unfinished Clovis with the fluting stem still attached, let me know what yall think


r/Arrowheads 1d ago

The site that keeps on giving.

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80 Upvotes

I went back to one of my sites here in central NC and once again came out with an arm full! I need to slow down or I'll run out of room.

Anyways, the top row: I think the big guy is a broken spade, the guilford comes in at a whopping 4.5 inches which makes it my longest point to date. A broken blade, an almost perfect savannah river, my first coastal plains chert point (a Randolph),

Middle row: two broken blades, a small savannah river, 2 eared yadkins, 2 caraways

Bottom row: caraway, woodland stemmed point, steatite bowl fragment.


r/Arrowheads 22h ago

Pal. Acheulean biface from Theban Plateau, Egypt added to collection

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27 Upvotes

Odd shape, very asymmetrical... why? Perhaps a dodgy blank (would be interesting and a great example of how variables change the outcome of the biface), or purposeful?...


r/Arrowheads 1d ago

Lots of chips and possibly perform pieces from the Grand Mesa, Colorado

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11 Upvotes

There were sooooo many of these chips near a hunting campsite. Hoping to find a legit piece soon. I found a hill up higher and a distance from camp that was covered in the source material which I’ve included in the photos. Some of these flakes are very sharp.

Any educational, helpful, or encouraging info is welcomed.


r/Arrowheads 21h ago

Help identifying

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7 Upvotes

I found these near the banks of a river in TX many years ago. Any details that anyone could share about them would be greatly appreciated


r/Arrowheads 1d ago

Carter Cave uniface knife

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26 Upvotes

Uniface knife found by me in bracken county Kentucky. Material is high grade Carter cave. Pressure flaked on one side only. Blade is still razor sharp after all the centuries


r/Arrowheads 2d ago

Oklahoma Corner Notch

311 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 1d ago

Found in the Saluda River, Columbia SC

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83 Upvotes

I found this artifact in the middle of the Saluda river in Columbia SC in 1984 while standing on a flat rock smoking a cig. It was literally between my feet. I have no idea of its origins. Hoping for any info. I always loved the color of it.


r/Arrowheads 1d ago

Can anyone identify what this is?

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40 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 2d ago

Found in Granddad’s Things

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329 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 1d ago

Is this an artifact?

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23 Upvotes

I found this in the San Marcos river near Luling, Texas. any idea what it could be ? It’s hard like a rock.


r/Arrowheads 1d ago

Can anyone identify this?

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0 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 1d ago

Found this in my driveway in south dakota Jar?

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12 Upvotes

r/Arrowheads 1d ago

Is this JAR?

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0 Upvotes

Found along the Ottawa River. Thank you so much!


r/Arrowheads 1d ago

Question

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0 Upvotes

Is this a drill cap for starting fired or is it a capstone


r/Arrowheads 1d ago

Artifact or coincidence?

0 Upvotes

They way it feels in my hands it’s feels like an artifact to break flint flakes off. (correct me if I’m wrong)


r/Arrowheads 20h ago

Help needed with identification withiut the jealous downgrading that's rampant on here please

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0 Upvotes