6,000-year-old axe head discovered at Mount Vernon
A group of students and teachers on an archaeological fieldtrip to George Washington’s Mount Vernon earlier this month made quite the discovery: An axe head dating back to the fourth millennia BCE.
The group discovered the artifact on Oct. 12 while working on a ridgeline where an African American cemetery is located on the estate’s grounds, according to a press release put out by Mount Vernon on Wednesday. The axe is approximately seven inches wide and three inches wide.
The press release said the find “represents the skill and craftsmanship of the maker” due to the complex process it took to create. A large piece of river cobble would have needed to be chipped, flattened and ground down using harder rocks, according to Mount Vernon. A groove in the back of the axe head is likely where a wooden handle was attached.
“The axe provides a window onto the lives of individuals who lived here nearly 6,000 years ago,” Sean Devlin, Mount Vernon’s curator of archaeological collections, said in the press release. “Artifacts, such as this, are a vital resource for helping us learn about the diverse communities who shaped this landscape throughout its long history.”
The ridgeline where the axe was found is believed to have been used by communities of Native Americans going back as long as 8,000 years ago, the press release said. It was likely a stopping place for groups looking for resources in the area, rather than a permanent village.
The axe head will now join an extensive collection of artifacts in Mount Vernon’s archaeology program.
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