For Y'all Data - 6,000-Year-Old Axe Discovered At Mountain Vernon


On Oct 12, 2018, a grouping of students too teachers participating inwards an archæology plain trip to Mount Vernon helped to honor a rock axe caput dating dorsum to the 4th millennia BCE. The axe is roughly 7 inches long too 3 inches wide. Similar axes appointment to the Archaic Period of Virginia’s history (4,500-8,000 years ago) too would convey been an of import business office of the Native American toolkit roughly 6,000 years ago. The grouping made this archaeological uncovering at Mount Vernon’s African American cemetery, which oral history suggests was the resting house for enslaved individuals too perhaps around of their freed descendants.

 a grouping of students too teachers participating inwards an archæology plain trip to Mount Vern For You Information - 6,000-year-old axe discovered at Mount Vernon
Greenstone total grooved (4/4) apartment cobble axe, Middle Archaic
[Credit: Melissa Wood/Mount Vernon]
The axe is specially interesting because it represents the science too craftsmanship of the maker. To create this axe, a craftsperson worked a river cobble past times commencement “chipping” it amongst a hammer rock to create a cutting border along the aspect upward of the axe. The burgeoning tool was too then hammered amongst a harder rock to create a smoother cutting surface past times removing smaller amounts of the raw rock from the axe. These surfaces look to convey been ground, or smoothed, i finally fourth dimension through the purpose of a difficult grinding stone. Finally, a groove was pecked along the backend of the axe head. This groove would convey facilitated the attachment of a wooden grip to the axe for its purpose inwards woods cutting.


“The axe provides a window onto the lives of individuals who lived hither nearly 6000 years ago,” said Sean Devlin, Mount Vernon’s curator of archaeological collections. “Artifacts, such every bit this, are a vital resources for helping us larn most the various communities who shaped this landscape throughout its long history.”


The uncovering took house along the ridgeline upon which the African American cemetery sits, which was used past times communities of Virginia Indians every bit long agone every bit 8,000 years ago, too continuing for several chiliad years later on based upon the archaeological evidence. While the site appears to convey been continually occupied over this period, it was non necessarily a “village” site. Rather, the place was in all likelihood i of many temporary stopping over points for a community every bit they traveled along the river or exploited the resources of the area.


For Mount Vernon’s archaeologists, artifacts such every bit this axe aid us translate the daily lives of people inwards the past. Its archæology programme maintains an electronic database where information is recorded most every artifact recovered too where it was found. After cataloging objects, Mount Vernon’s squad cleans, preserves, too stores all of our artifacts hither on-site thence they are available for researchers. The axe volition bring together Mount Vernon’s rich archæology collection of to a greater extent than than 50,000 artifacts cataloged from this site solitary every bit the staff give-up the ghost along to larn to a greater extent than most too document the long history of human delineate of piece of job at Mount Vernon.  For to a greater extent than information most Mount Vernon’s archæology program, delight catch http://www.mountvernon.org/archaeology.

Author: Mary Wadland | Source: The Zebra [October 31, 2018]


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