WALNUT CREEK BIFACE
The "Walnut Creek Biface" is a surface find by Steve Ashley of Austin Texas. This is a "find of a lifetime" and Steve graciously brought the biface to Maxdale this fall. It has not been measured with a micrometer yet, but I've seen the sweetwater cast and have "held" the actual Walnut Creek. I think it has a VERY good chance of having a better width to thickness ratio than the Sweetwater.
The actual Sweetwater biface is said to have measured out at 18:1.

The following quote is from a court ruling reported in the "Texas Historical Commission" article that can be found at: http://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/publications/current-archeology-april-2010.pdf

THC Recovers Artifacts Found on City of Austin Land

A legal victory won by the Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) Archeology Division (AD) during fall 2009, reaffirms that the State of Texas, under the Antiquities Code of Texas, owns archeological artifacts recovered from public lands. The case (The State of Texas and the Texas Historical Commission v. Steve Ashley) was the result of a lawsuit filed in 2004 by the THC against Steve Ashley in district court. The purpose of the lawsuit was to regain possession of a Walnut Creek biface (stone tool) and other artifacts that had been collected by Ashley from City of Austin land seven years ago. The Walnut Creek artifact collection also includes 17 other chipped stone tools (six bifaces, 10 projectile points, and an edge-modified flake). These artifacts have been submitted to the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin for permanent curation.

Click on pics to get a more detailed view

MOVE OVER SWEETWATER BIFACE........??
Here's the translucent view with sunlight coming in from the back.


This is side 1. Several of the flakes dive down into the center, creating a thinner center than near the edge in some places. This can be seen in the translucent view above.


This is side 2. This side has a "divot" in the center from a strong thinning flake removal. (FYI, the Sweetwater also has one. Hmmmm..) This might have been the result of targeting a hindge remnant. Note the white touches of patina all along the butt of the blade. Steve said a white mano was lying right on top the blade,which is probably where the patina came from. Both pieces were found together in a near vertical position, sticking out of the ground.


Here's Steve with his prize posession.


Here's a side view. Most of the edges are thin as a credit card. UNBELIEVABLE!!


Some of the Maxdale crowd. Steve, Gene Stapleton and Johnny Maduzia. I think Gene's jaw dropped(as did everybody elses) when he saw how thin it was.



I don't believe he let me hold the biface! Steve, thankyou bud.

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