A. Round or nearly round section, pointed or flattened at the top, blade rapidly thickening from the edge; a few are polished at the top, but most of them show marks of a maul or hammer; all have been highly polished; all of this class were probably used as wedges, as their shape renders them more fit for this purpose than for any other; the battered tops indicate such usage. The few not showing such marks may have been set into a bumper of wood or horn, or used with wooden mauls. They vary in length from 2½ to 7½ inches. They are represented by the specimen shown in [figure 47], of argillite, from Lincoln county, Arkansas; there are also one from a mound in Sumter county, Alabama ([figure 48]), and one from Kanawha valley, West Virginia, both of serpentine and elliptical in section, though the form of the edge puts them in this class. The following specimens are typical representations of the class:
| District. | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern North Carolina | 3 | 7 | 2 | ||
| Eastern Tennessee | 3 | ||||
| Western Tennessee | 1 | ||||
| Southeastern Arkansas | 2 | ||||
| Union county, Mississippi | 1 | ||||
| Madison county, Illinois | 1 | ||||
| Savannah, Georgia | 2 | 1 | |||
| KEY: A = Sienite. B = Argillite. C = Granite. D = Rotten limestone. E = Sandstone. | |||||
Fig. 49.—Celt, showing long, slender form.
B. Long, narrow, elliptical section, pointed top, curved or straight edges, sides straight or gently curved. None of these seem to have been put to any rough use, as the edges are quite sharp and the entire surface is well polished; length from 4¼ to 12½ inches. The type is illustrated by [figure 49], of argillite, from a mound in Monroe county, Tennessee.
| District. | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Tennessee | 8 | 3 | |||
| Northwestern Georgia | 1 | ||||
| Savannah, Georgia | 6 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Kanawha valley, West Virginia | 1 | ||||
| Northeastern Alabama | 1 | ||||
| Western North Carolina | 1 | ||||
| KEY: A = Argillite. B = Granite. C = Sandstone. D = Quartzite. E = Sienite. | |||||
C. Thick, almost round section, round-pointed top, nearly straight to sharp-curved edge, sides gently curved, widest at edge or just above. Most of these show marks of use as cutting tools or hatchets. In many the top has been roughened as if for insertion into a hole cut in a piece of wood; others have this roughening around the middle or immediately above, leaving a polish at both ends, and these were hafted probably by means of a stick or withe twisted around them. The roughening is a secondary operation, having no relation to the making of the implement; it was produced by pecking after the surface was polished. In a few cases it extends from the top well down the sides; but usually it reaches but a little way below the top, or else is in a circle around the body of the celt. Most of them have sharp edges; a few have edges either chipped or blunted and polished, showing long usage. Two from Kanawha valley (one roughened for handle) have the edges worn in on one of the faces until they almost resemble gouges; but that they were not intended as such is shown by the concavity being nearer one side and not reaching entirely across. The length ranges from 4½ to 10 inches. The type is illustrated by [figures 50] and [51], both of sienite, from Lauderdale county, Tennessee.
Fig. 50.—Celt, nearly round section.
