Item PL24
This Item was Sold on 24 April
2022 for $82
Similar artifacts for sale are often found on the Lithic
Artifacts web page.
Historical Pricing information for this item and similar artifacts
can be found at: Historical Artifact
Prices.
This item is a lot of 6 Pre-Columbian Neolithic stone
tools (stone axes or celts) found in Central Panama. All of
these were made from Basalt or a similar hard stone and they
are in very nice condition with only a few minor faults,
such as edge chips, etc. All celts were found on the South
East shore of a large island in Gatun Lake near the south
end of the Gatun Locks. Zonians called this island " Navy
Island ", but the official name is " Guarapo Island ".
Before the Panama Canal was constructed, this island was a
tall hill on the banks of the Chagres River. All of these
artifacts are surface finds. As a teen living in the town of
Gatun, I visited Navy Island often to fish and camp. The
wave action from the ships leaving Gatun Locks would wash
against the steep hillside and erode the red clay soil to
expose lithic artifacts. I collected these between 1966 and
1968. All of these artifacts were collected in the American
Canal Zone prior to when the territory was ceded back to
Panama in 1999. The approximate dimensions and weights are
as follows: Celt #2: Length = 57 mm ; Width = 29 mm ; Thickness = 13
mm ; Weight = 33 gm Celt #3: Length = 56 mm ; Width = 31 mm ; Thickness = 13
mm ; Weight = 33 gm Celt #4: Length = 50 mm ; Width = 25 mm ; Thickness = 13
mm ; Weight = 27 gm Celt #5: Length = 42 mm ; Width = 33 mm ; Thickness = 10
mm ; Weight = 19 gm Celt #6: Length = 44 mm ; Width = 21 mm ; Thickness = 11
mm ; Weight = 17 gm