Worked flint resembles a crested bird's head and stands on a base to orient such a figure stone correctly

Worked flint resembles a crested bird's head, with an "eye" seen in this view, and stands on a nice and likely intended base to orient such a figure stone correctly

Artifact from Flint Ridge, Licking County, Ohio.  Find and interpretation by Ken Johnston.  One suspected artifact incorporating bird head imagery might be a fluke but with a couple of compelling birds having emerged from the Flint Ridge area in Licking County, Ohio, a possible motif here is worth further investigation and study.  Please also see the posting "Least Bittern" for what could be a similar execution of bird head imagery found in near proximity, 10 meters, from this possible crested bird head.  I have wondered if these simple nature based images could have been created for children to ponder and play with as "toys" or maybe they had another significance.  The possible intended bird imagery may be familiar to us, but uses and meanings are not attainable from rock art of the long past.

http://portablerockart.blogspot.com/2011/06/least-bittern-head-awaiting-feeding.html

Artifact is pictured on a centimeter (cm) grid for scale.  The beak on this side is lined with quartz crystals.

The Flint Ridge Knap-in, the largest gathering of flint knappers in North America, takes place September 2, 3 and 4, 2011, at Flint Ridge, Glenford, Ohio, just east of Newark and about 1 hour east of Columbus. That's Friday through Sunday of Labor Day weekend.  Hope to see you there!

http://www.flintridgeknapin.com/
 

Two birds depicted in flint and quartz crystals on figure stone from Flint Ridge, Licking County, Ohio

Two birds depicted in flint and quartz crystals on figure stone from Flint Ridge, Licking County, Ohio.  Artifact found and interpreted by Ken Johnston.

This side of the figure stone resembles a standing water bird, with its wing and tail raised away from its body, connoting movement.  The bird has a ground crystal eye, and a crystal head.  Note how the little sculpture stands upright on a pedestal-like base.

With scale

The blue circle in this photo indicates where the crystal was ground down to differentiate that spot visually from the rest of crystal in order to make an eye.  The eye is in the perfect spot to depict a standing, long-billed bird in left profile view.  As most all art like this, nature offered up the ideal starting form and with some modification this piece of chert was brought to life.

In this position, the same artifact would never be recognized as an art piece worked on a micro-carving scale to depict two separate birds.  However, once the birds are recognized, this is a great view of the work to remove stone material to define a bird's beak.  The area of grinding to remove quartz material is seen highlighted in blue marking on this photo.  Click photos to expand views.

PLAY>

Watch this short video of this beautiful flint and crystal bird sculpture rotating slowly on a display turntable.  The video is a little fuzzy but combined with the photos will provide a good sense of what this figure stone is like in three dimensions and how much the crystals catch the sunlight.

Another bird-like, beaked, flint from southern Licking County, Ohio

Licking Township, Licking County, Ohio

Ken Johnston collection

 

Bird-like flints with beaks can be found locally in the Buckeye Lake area.

Also pictured here are two flint, again somewhat bird-like, blades found within 10 feet of the beaked piece. These pieces were most likely not associated in pre-history but are staged together here to illustrate what seem to be avian shapes found in this locale in greater numbers than pure randomness should allow. Perhaps a pattern can be demonstrated with publication of more examples of this artifact type.

As the enabling (knife-like, spear-like) and first part of a bird to emerge into this world, these beaks may have had a symbolic significance expressed in flint and beyond their potential utility as tool attributes.

 

The topic of children toys in archaeology is rarely addressed but it is likely some rock art was used for learning and play.   A real bird is difficult for a child to hold but they are such a large part of the world of nature early people were immersed in.  Maybe these bird forms were a way to capture a child's imagination for a time.

three artifacts found at Hebron, Ohio, along Buckeye Lake, by Ken Johnston

reverse sides of the artifacts

all shown with scale

close up of beak-like feature

beak feature from opposite side of artifact

Perhaps a Least Bittern (bird head sculpture standing upright on base)

Least Bittern head and beak, from Flint Ridge, Licking County, Ohio.

The artifact stands on a base with the beak pointing skyward, just like a living Least Bittern awaiting feeding.

artifact is pictured on a centimeter grid for scale and perspective

(click photo to expand)

Side 2

(click photo to expand)

side 2 standing

John James Audubon reproduction of the Least Bittern in its typical, beak pointing up position.  The flint sculpture here captures not only the look of the Least Bittern but also its most notable observable behavior which is the young clustering with beaks in the air awaiting the regurgitated food to be provided by the mother, heads swaying like the wind-blown reeds and grasses of the water's edge.  As soon as mother leaves to bring back and regurgitate food for the chicks, it's beaks up and moving to the rhythm of the long grass to camouflage themselves and be in ready position for her return.  For this reason, birds (and specifically beaks) are thought to be symbolic of new life and motherly sustenance.

The nesting Least Bittern is observable in the shore area of Buckeye Lake, Ohio, near Flint Ridge today.  When I saw the flint, my immediate thought without hesitation was "Least Bittern!!!" and then the painting on the wall of my study.  The artifact beak has a slight curve where the Least Bittern's beak seems more straight. It seems to be the closest looking species of water bird currently in Ohio and may have been the species in the mind of the creator of this piece of flint.

If not intentionally produced as a sculpture, the likeness to a bird could have been recognized in prehistoric times and resulted in the piece being set aside. The perfectly flat base and ideal standing position of the sculpture form argue for intent to create a presentable bird head sculpture here.

 

Two examples of beaked, bird-like, flint artifacts from Licking County, Ohio, found at same cultural site

A "beaked" uniface.  Pam Douglass find, Jacksontown, Ohio

(please excuse the slightly blurred photos)

A beaked uniface.  This type of beak is quite common on artifacts in the Licking Valley in Central Ohio, giving them the look of a bird form.  The bird forms often have a concave back and a convex breast below the beak.  More examples to be posted in the future.  It may be diagnostic of a tool type, and/or it could be a way to express bird imagery.  The beaks do not appear to have been used so their existence may be wholly symbolic.  The other edges often appear to have been lightly used.  Also, other types of bird iconography may be found in the area of Flint Ridge, Licking County, Ohio.

with scale included in photo

Another beaked artifact has two, conjoined, egg-like cups.
It may be interpreted as a micro-sculpture of a pregnant woman's torso with legs spread in birthing position.

Pam Douglass finds, Jacksontown, Licking County, Ohio

This beak itself does not have any indication of use as a tool.

Micro-sculpture of pregnant woman's torso
top yellow line = truncation of the head 
bottom yellow line= truncation of the right leg
yellow arrow= woman's vulvar zone, source of human life
white arrow= left thigh.  Left leg truncated below yellow arrow.
grey line= bottom of belly of woman
white line= contours in the flint define top of pubic area
green arrow= pregnant and protruding belly of woman


Close up of the woman's torso sculpture representation of the vulvar area
The artist has exploited a naturally advantageous inclusion in the flint to represent the source-issuer of all human life.

The white stone feature with sparkling silver center which represents the vulvar zone on the other side of the artifact penetrates and narrows in the flint so it is seen on this side as a circle and dot (inside white circle markup in the photo above) as opposed to an oval with line on the "feminine side."  The blade edge on the left in the photo appears to have been used.  The suspected use-wear zone is inside a white bracket markup in the above photo.  (click photo to expand)

The cups appear breast-like at this angle.  The bird is associated with maternity and providing for the young in Paleolithic art and this may be an intentional symbolic creation of the of the birthing (eggs) and nurturing (breasts) mother motifs. The cups are concave on the artifact but if one looks at the cups as breasts, the breasts appear as if they are convex or protruding from the stone which is in fact an optical illusion.  Pictured with scale (mm) on photo right border.  The beak is highlighted in white lines here because it visually washed out into the background of the photo.

Close up of beaked "bird head" with flint work details.

(click photo to expand view)

This piece may be interpreted as a unified male and female bird where the female side is represented in darker flint, with eggs.  The male side is the pink flint, symbolic of female birds often being drab colored compared to their male counterparts.

The artifact and symbolism here are similar to finds at Boukoul, Netherlands, of archaeologist Jan van Es. Please see links at bottom of the portablerockart.com page for Jan van Es' web site.  Mr. van Es has described the egg, the bird and the pregnant woman as related icons in Pleistocene portable rock art motifs of Europe.  One of the eggs in the nest here is also the woman's belly and the other is her ovate thigh.

More icons, further interpretation made, of Peter Cottontail Has Left the Building

Peter Cottontail Has Left the Building (further interpreted)

click photo to expand size

artifact is sitting on a CM grid for scale

After the first posting of this artifact a few days ago, a bird icon was detected at the crest of the rabbit's back.  Thanks to visitor Lyn Niday of Marion, Ohio, for reporting the bird she saw.  The bird has a beak and an eye and shares its crested head with the rabbit's pointed back.  It could be taken as a "cardinal" because of the crested head and red color.  The "bird overseer" motif is also seen in the posting "Giant Cosmic Egg."  It is not marked up in the posting but may be seen on top of the man's head/woman's head.  It is strikingly similar to the one here, being separated by 2000 miles and an unknown period of time.  One must look carefully to see the bird.

 

A proboscidean representation is seen on the rabbit's hind quarter, the rabbit leg is also the trunk of the mammoth or mastodon.  An elephant eye is also worked into the flint and is marked up on the photo above.

On the right side of the artifact is yet another rabbit, looking straight on at the viewer.  The sparkling silver, lightning bolt-like, inclusion in the stone appears to have been integrated a "blade of grass" the rabbit is munching on.  The orange triangle is what would be the nose area of this rabbit face eating grass.

The red rabbit head profile inclusion of the grey background stone material is also highlighted in the top photo.  The entire piece seems centered around this iconic inclusion.  It is likely what inspired the artist to work the flint to further represent a rabbit.  This rabbit head in profile also serves as the ear of the elephant.  Click this photo to expand size.  Photos taken on a CM grid.

For those who could not see the smiling rabbit's face in the original post, I have made the markup above to compare to the original unmarked photo as seen at left.  Click photo to expand.

Dennis Boggs of Oregon detected this face on the artifact as he highlighted in the photo here.  Thanks for reporting this Dennis and for rotating the photo and marking it up so a nice comparison may be made.

Rabbits, birds and elephants are thought to be major maternal and fertility icons in Paleolithic art.

-kbj

Peter Cottontail has left the building... Peter Cottontail has left the building.

Peter Cottontail has left the building

click photo to expand size

Found at the same site as the Peter Cottontail posting prior to this one, I did not think this was an intended artifact initially.  After examination under lighted 10x magnification, I detected several stroke marks or incisions in a series of lines going up the neck to the bottom of the head in the above photo.  On the opposite side of the artifact, facial details were detected which are worked in the flint and seen in the photo below.

I also detected a break spot where it looks like a "front leg" was attached to this item at one time.  The shadow of the break may be seen square #3 from right on the bottom row of the CM grid.  It also has two different rabbit views depicted, one on each side.  These three factors, along with the resemblance to a hopping rabbit at a site which has produced another rabbit icon, weigh as factors in assessing artifactuality here.

Peter Cottontail has left the building

(face toward viewer, Flopsy-like ear)

click photo to expand size

artifact on a CM grid for scale and perspective

Looks like rabbit's right ear is "floppy" from this perspective. In this view, the rabbit has turned its head to face the viewer.  Click photo to expand size to view the cartoon-like face of the rabbit, including eyes, nose, whiskers and an apparent smile- a look foretelling of the Trix cereal advertisement character rabbit. The front leg has broken off.  The rabbit has a pointed back to invoke a sense of swift, springing, movement.  Paleolithic representations of animals and people often have what we would call a cartoonish look.  It has been a part of the human aesthetic long before the Sunday newspaper comic section.

Here comes Peter Cottontail....

Peter Cottontail
click photo to expand size

Polymorphic rabbit/feline/bear/deer/human sculpture
from Licking County, Ohio USA

lithic material is from Flint Ridge

photos taken on a CM grid for scale and perspective

This photo is an aide to refer back to the above to see a feline visage as highlighted here in blue.  Relax your focus, "look through your eyelashes," or stand at a distance from the screen to best see the big cat.

Closer view of rabbit's head

This is back half of the rabbit.  Back of the ear tip is seen in black material in upper left corner.  Two animal head images are seen here, taken to be a lion face and bear head in right profle.  Because they share common features in the stone, it may be difficult to percieve.

This is a bear head in right profile view.  Here, I have whited out a portion of the lion's face which is distracting to the bear image because they share features.  Orange arrow points to ear (serves also as the right eye of the second lion visage).  Blue arrow points to tip of nose.  Purple arrow points to tip the bear's chin.

 Short faced bear (Arctodus)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctodus

   

The tip of the bear's face may also depict the face of a man in right profile so this could be taken as a "synthesis of man's face with a bears head."  The man and bear share the same mouth. If one pays visual attention to the front of the faces like shown in this photo, the human depiction becomes more clear.  It looks like the face has a mournful frown.   

Pink and black are lion's eyes, yellow is the nose.  The nose also looks like a caprid (deer?) icon with its head turned as if looking behind it.  It appears there is a chunk or "bite" out of the hind quarter of the deer.  The deer is squarely in the eyes of the lion, being its nose.  Blue is the snarling mouth of the lion.
  

The maroon band of flint which is the face-on lion's snarling mouth, also seems to serve as red hairdo, or a turban style wrap, atop a grinning woman's face.  There appears to be an ear decoration on the woman, like an earring.  Maybe the woman is being consumed by the lion, the lion's red lips grasping her head to begin a meal?

Arrow points to earring looking stone feature.  I hypothesize the frowning man's face (fourth photo above) is mourning the loss of his partner, shown here at the lion's mouth, to predation.  Based on the paleo-anthropological record of skeletal remains, it is estimated 6% to 10% of early humans died at the jaws, paws and claws of carnivores.  So, humans were more in the food chain than solely at the top of the food chain in pre-modern times.

In final, the interpretations of images here are of two lion faces, a bear head, a man's face, a woman's face, one deer and one two-sided rabbit.  A third lion image, with paw extended toward the viewer and a tooth showing, has not been marked up in the photos.  Can you find it?

North American lion (Panthera leo atrox) reconstruction

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Lion

Photo looking down on artifact as it stands on its base.  Without recognition, art pieces like this are being overlooked, forsaken by archaeologists, passed off as debitage or other debris, suitable for the pile of "burden stones."  

A similar looking sculpture with animals on two sides.  This side looks like the artifact featured in this post.  Also from Licking County, Ohio.

This side looks like a rabbit with a crystal inclusion perhaps representing the "magic womb" of the reproductive proclivity of this animal.  This is one of seven sculptures found in immediate proximity (a hoard) in Licking County Ohio and featured at the web site: http://subtleartifacts.com

Side two of the featured figure stone (on CM grid)

Side two again

Flint Ridge is the source for the raw material in this post.

Click photo to expand size

-kbj