| This stone tool is an example of a celt, a tool commonly used by the indigenous inhabitants of the New World prior to the arrival of the Euro-Americans. This particular celt was found in the region encompassed by present-day Bedford County. It is indicative of tools used during the Archaic cultural period which lasted from approximately 8000 BC to 1000 BC. Some researchers have identified this tool as one used for digging in the ground, but most authorities identify it as a tool used for chipping, cutting and shaping wood, like a handheld ax (e.g. an adze). The tool has variously been identified as a polished stone tool that was used for scraping fat off of hides. |
