Adze

Adze. Roughly made flat tool with wide rounded cutting edge. Other end is broken in a straight line. Dark stone. Unground adzes may have been used as a hoe for digging and harvesting roots, bulbs and other wild plants. They could also have served as a woodworking tool. They were made from pebbles which were carefully selected for their shape. The cutting edge was created by chipping at either one or both sides to form a sharp edge. The opposite end is usually thicker. Unground adzes appear as early as the Late Paleolithic Period. Bowtie shaped adzes appear in connection with Jomon sites. 2272 and 2281 are broken pieces. In their original form they may have been bowtie shaped. A date of Late Paleolithic to Jomon is assigned to these two pieces until further comparisons with excavated examples can be made.