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HUMAN FORM This small bifacially flaked and engraved artifact was collected in northwestern Peru. It's believed to belong to the Chimu culture. This would date it sometime between 1000 to 1470 AD. The carving shows a human with his hands folded together over his stomach. The same figure is deeply engraved on both sides. The overall shape and size of this artifact conforms to what would normally be a projectile point. But obviously this object would have been more important. The figure most probably represents some type of mythological being. Maybe it was once hafted onto a shaft or maybe it was hung as some type of jewelry. There are no sharp edges along the carved lines. The stone is semi-translucent in some areas and opaque in others. It appears to be good quality chert. It has been in contact with copper at one time. On one side of the head there are large spots of patina that are dark green. This engraved biface measures 2 1/8 inches (5.3 cm) long.
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