Three fossiliferous chalcedony flakes from excavations at the Wetherington Island Site (8HI473), Hillsborough Co., Florida (Brown et al. 1995). #archaeology#lithics
Guess who just found the teeniest Mesolithic microlith while litterpicking on a sunset walk? Me! Strange to be the first person for over 8,000 years to see this human manufactured tool.
Two tiny worked Mesolithic flints, probably used as barbs on spears. The smallest, which I found yesterday while litterpicking, is 11x6mm. Apart from me, you're the first people to see the one on the left for over 8,000 years.
Found three treasures while litterpicking, including another Mesolithic worked flint - 7 from the same area so far (2 x blades and 2 x points/barbs were notably close finds). This one is the same grey flint, and it's been worked as a core, but only about a third remains because it broke from intense heating. Archaeologists sometimes record these heated flints as "potboilers" but I'm not convinced that applies to this artifact. It seems to be part of a core with usable flint that was put beyond use either intentionally or in a natural wildfire. I was already beginning to wonder if a tool - spear/harpoon - was mislaid and I've been finding some of the pieces. Now I'm wondering if a campsite was lost or even a human life: landslip, wildfire, hunting accident? Impossible to know but I can't help speculating.