FOSSILS AND ARTIFACTS FROM
PALEO ENTERPRISES

RESEARCH

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Unusual Wooden Artifact from Levy County, Florida 

An unusual wooden artifact was recently discovered in Levy Co. FL from an excavated muck pond on private property adjacent to the Withlacoochee River.  This drainage system has its origins it the Green Swamp in the central interior of the state and served as a major waterway for travel and transportation during aboriginal times.  The wetlands of this area  today harbor numerous shell middens and during the ages has been the home of large Indian populations. 

The object in question is fashioned from a piece of wood which appears to be heart pine, or lighter pine, very hard and well preserved.  One end terminates in a point which was obviously intentionally fashioned from tools of some sort, although no tools marks are discernable.  The other end is covered with some type of material which appears organic in nature, perhaps pitch, resin, leather, or a combination of these. This admixture extends onto the shaft for approximately 5 inches and has the appearance of a handle wrapping of some sort.  There are deposits of goethite on this surface which are identical to those on a stone projectile point or knife with organic pitch deposits on the hafting area, found in Dixie County.  

The object measures 14 ¼” by 1 5/8” at its widest part.  The handle area with its covering is about 5” and the weight of the object is 10.9 ounces.  Although the object has appeared very stable since it was first removed from the mud, after drillings for dating were removed, it was soaked in a solution of polyvinylbutyral and acetone.  Of interest is the recovery of another artifact in nearby proximity of the wooden object, the remains of what appears to be a good portion of a Seminole Brushed ceramic vessel.  The pot shards have been glued together as seen in the accompanying photos and the vessel measures approximately 13” across and 4½” deep.  The bowl resembles the very common type which was abundantly represented at the Oven Hill and Lang  site[i] in Dixie County, FL.   

A wood sample of the artifact was submitted to the Center for Applied Isotope Studies at the University of Georgia in Athens for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) Radiocarbon analysis.  First a 1/8^th  inch drill bit was carefully cleaned in acetone to remove all oils and contaminants.  Then a small part of the surface near the handle area was removed by drilling and discarded.  After recleaning the bit, a sample was taken from deep into the wooden shaft, placed on a sheet of aluminum foil, carefully folded over onto itself and placed into a plastic bag sealed for mailing.  At the university lab the sample was pre-treated with acid to remove potential contaminants from the surface as well as the internal structure prior to processing for dating.  The result was a corrected age d¹³C  of 240 ± 40 YBP.   

There is, of course, no certainty that the association of the vessel and the wooden object was anything other than happenstance, yet the dates of the two objects would seem to correlate very well.  The carbon dating on the wood indicates that the tree from which the object was made died sometime between 1725 and 1805, and the Seminole Colonization period in Florida is often given at 1716-1763[ii] 

The question remains as to the purpose of the artifact.  Different possibilities have been offered, mostly from collectors who have examined it or have seen pictures of it.  These ideas range from a Spanish war lance tip (the dates do not support this) a Seminole personal weapon, a Seminole alligator spear tip (socketed into a long lance) and a Seminole torch[iii].  The latter purpose would account for the wrapped handle, which would be basically turpentine pitch.  The pointed end could have been secured in the prow of a wooden canoe, perhaps to hunt alligators or frogs at night.  The torch could be easily removed and stuck in the ground to provide light at night for skinning on shore or other activities.

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