For many, archaeology is a hobby. The majority of the collections I’ve sorted in my time spent at the DHR have actually been donations of hobbyists that spend their free time looking for artifacts in Virginia. Some don’t have to look far at all, with their own farmlands having several sites untouched except for the occasional plowing. Pictured is the collection of a farmer we met not far from Lynchburg after he contacted us about having found some Native American artifacts on his farm. We had no idea just how expansive the collection would be.
We were floored when he presented to us a cabinet full of lithic tools, including axes, a range of projectile points still intact, and a few other relatively uncommon finds for the average collector. We were even more impressed to find out he kept them organized by location and had detailed, hand-drawn maps of their provenience. This level of organization isn’t always the case, as many people don’t realize any artifact becomes practically worthless without the provenience – especially when there’s a large black market for Native American artifacts, creating a lucrative business for people that know how to produce fakes.
Stone tool production isn’t nearly as hard as one would think, making creating fakes an attainable craft. Tom taught us to make our own projectile points, supplying us with deer bones and lithic material to practice on our own. I’ve discovered my stone tool production skills are not up to par but learning the process makes identifying artifacts in the field significantly simpler. A great deal of our time in the field often involves helping the landowner recognize what’s an artifact – whether it be the projectile point, shatter, or flakes – and what’s what Tom calls a “leave-it-right” … as in leave it right there because it’s just a rock. If you say “leave-it-right” fast and confidently enough, you can briefly trick someone into thinking they just found something spectacular. And, yes, he encourages us to make this joke with people as often as possible.
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