| The Celt shown here, a Woodland Period derivation of the axe, wherein
the poll of the tool was fitted into a socketed handle, is unusual in that
the sweep of the blade is incurvate, the bit flairing widely from the hafting-region.
Also of note, though difficult to see from this angle, is the very slight
channeling of the center-portion of the blade—possibly formed so as to
channel the wood being split down the length of the Celt, and also possibly
to make the Celt itself lighter in wieght. Celts exhibiting this form are
more common to the Mississippian Era of the Late Woodland Period, ca. AD
900 to AD 1400, though celts sharing the traits exhibited by this specimen
are known from earlier times during the Woodland Period. |
