ROSS POINT
Southern
Illinois
Hopewell
Culture
2,000
to 1,600 years ago
This is one of the nicest Ross Blades I have seen and is
still in a private collection. This one measures 8 1/8 inches long and is
made of a beautiful orange Kaolin chert from southern Illinois. It's the
classic style with a diamond base. This one has two stylish points that
stick out on each side of the base that adds to the overall artistic look.
It is thin and very skillfully flaked.
Ross Blades were made during the Middle Woodland Period
as non utilitarian ceremonial objects. They are generally anywhere from
1,600 to 2,000 years old. There are several different styles but the
diamond base variety is the "classic". They are as "artistic" as
the craftsman could make them. Not only were they the largest flaked stone
artifacts that the Hopewell people produced they were also made of the
most exotic raw materials. Although the culture that made them lived east
of the Mississippi River some of these points were made of Obsidian from
the Yellowstone Park area thousands of miles away. The Hopewell culture
developed extensive trade routes that brought in raw materials from across
the country.
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