Choppers: Why? Educate me!

[upnorth]

thank you all for this information

educated !

Same here, it's appreciated. May we be fortunate enough to never stop learning.

 

[heresthedeal]

At least the last for the last 5,000 years not much has changed neeman. Although, can't help but agree with what Bill says. If it helps you smooth it, use it!

Although from the thousands of cataloged pieces, the only wood splitting tools I saw were hand/stone axes, and wedging splitters. To be fair, there are copper examples from isreal 7,000 years ago, awls, and whatnot, although their specific use cases have been lost to history.

Where did you get this picture?

 

[B34NS]

Took it at the MET in NYC a few weeks ago.

Friend of mine works for the museum and got to see some really fascinating artifacts showing hominid tool making 300,000 years ago all the way up to the present.

 

[heresthedeal]

Took it at the MET in NYC a few weeks ago.

Friend of mine works for the museum and got to see some really fascinating artifacts showing hominid tool making 300,000 years ago all the way up to the present.

So was it listed as an actual artifact, or replica(if replica, did it list a maker?) of an artifact?

If it was an artifact of North American origin, if so what region?

nice pic.

 

[B34NS]

Yep, hand axes and ulu type stone knives from non-human hominids at least over 300,000 years ago from whats presently egypt. All the specimens are the actual tools someone thousands of years ago made, and used to survive in a world with mammoths, bison antiquus, cave bears. True bad asses in my book. Then goes into early predyanstic egypt, with some of the most effective beginning uses of mettalurgy in society. Keeps going all through the peak of ancient egypt, onto the greeks, romans, bizantine, middle ages, all the way up to present. If you're in NYC I highly recommend going. I feel like I could spend 8 more hours there and not see it all. If you're looking for more Native American specimens, there's a lot more in the Natural History museum there not too far away.

Here's another one a pharoh decided to bury himself with over 3,500 years ago, tools.

Thanks! I've been toying with the idea of posting a photo thread of them

 

[upnorth]

If it was an artifact of North American origin, if so what region?

I've chatted with metal detector hobbyists that have found ancient North American copper knives\artefacts. They are a rare find indeed. But it happens.

 

[upnorth]

Double

 

[sodak]

Yep, hand axes and ulu type stone knives from non-human hominids at least over 300,000 years ago from whats presently egypt. All the specimens are the actual tools someone thousands of years ago made, and used to survive in a world with mammoths, bison antiquus, cave bears. True bad asses in my book. Then goes into early predyanstic egypt, with some of the most effective beginning uses of mettalurgy in society. Keeps going all through the peak of ancient egypt, onto the greeks, romans, bizantine, middle ages, all the way up to present. If you're in NYC I highly recommend going. I feel like I could spend 8 more hours there and not see it all. If you're looking for more Native American specimens, there's a lot more in the Natural History museum there not too far away.

Here's another one a pharoh decided to bury himself with over 3,500 years ago, tools.

Thanks! I've been toying with the idea of posting a photo thread of them

It's amazing how good a shape those are in, considering the years.

 

[heresthedeal]

Yep, hand axes and ulu type stone knives from non-human hominids at least over 300,000 years ago from whats presently egypt. All the specimens are the actual tools someone thousands of years ago made, and used to survive in a world with mammoths, bison antiquus, cave bears. True bad asses in my book. Then goes into early predyanstic egypt, with some of the most effective beginning uses of mettalurgy in society. Keeps going all through the peak of ancient egypt, onto the greeks, romans, bizantine, middle ages, all the way up to present. If you're in NYC I highly recommend going. I feel like I could spend 8 more hours there and not see it all. If you're looking for more Native American specimens, there's a lot more in the Natural History museum there not too far away.

Here's another one a pharoh decided to bury himself with over 3,500 years ago, tools.

Thanks! I've been toying with the idea of posting a photo thread of them

Ya, I know all that, BUT, I was just asking about the ones in the first pic(specifically), not how long people have been using knives and blades.
(Some of the oldest examples go back almost a million years)

Short of Danish daggers from Europe, and some hafted axes, I've never seen an artifact like those from North America.

Not saying they don't exist, just that I've never seen a replica, or a pic of any blades that big from this continent.

The metal stuff, copper, bronze, and iron never interested me. not quite as much skill in it, compared to knapped artifacts.

The artifacts we have here in North America are some of the most complex stone tools in the world.

Some of what you never see is the stone tools that the Egyptians made and used, the way they knapped is still a technique used today. You never see it because for some reason people have the idea that it's just a rock, who couldn't do it.
Heard a lot of people say they can, but when it comes down to breaking rocks, most all of them are just making sharp gravel.

 

[heresthedeal]

It's amazing how good a shape those are in, considering the years.

those are replicas, not actual artifacts. the copper blade maybe, but not the fiber material.

 

[heresthedeal]

At least the last for the last 5,000 years not much has changed neeman. Although, can't help but agree with what Bill says. If it helps you smooth it, use it!

Although from the thousands of cataloged pieces, the only wood splitting tools I saw were hand/stone axes, and wedging splitters. To be fair, there are copper examples from isreal 7,000 years ago, awls, and whatnot, although their specific use cases have been lost to history.

I found them, Neolithic copies around the same time as Danish daggers. early bronze age, lot of the people were still using stone tools, and bronze.

Made to copy/look like iron knives that were around in small numbers.

European, not in North America. That is above master knapper work, absolutely beautiful. Top one looks like Danish flint too.

I did find out that there are a lot of actual artifacts like those around over there, they were considered works of art then too.

Thanks for posting those, I wouldn't have looked for them otherwise.

 

[B34NS]

I should have specified the link. These are ancient egyptian artifacts at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. These are the real deal. Not much change in the knife game.

Top knife : http://metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/547495?rpp=30&pg=1&ft=08.202.4&pos=1
Bottom knife: http://metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/547494?rpp=30&pg=1&ft=19.2.13&pos=1

A large majority of their exhibit is items found in tombs of the pharohs. Given the locations they were stored, low moisture, low humidity, they've been preserved through the centuries until people went digging them up.

One of those knives beeing touched up before butchering a bull

Another one from before the dynasties started up in egypt, crazy curved blade

Having grown up in CA, I agree, there is an intensiley rich history of the native peoples in North America, it's good to know we have some history fans in here! I'll have to grab photos of those on my next trip.

 

[B34NS]

I've chatted with metal detector hobbyists that have found ancient North American copper knives\artefacts. They are a rare find indeed. But it happens.

These are from ancient egypt around 3,500 - 2,500 B.C. roughly.

Yea to my knowledge, natives in the america's weren't too keen on metallurgy, but they're use of natural elements for tools is astonishing. Atlotl's designed to take down bison antiquus. damn.