An Old Copper Culture 'I-B'- or 'I-J'-style Spearhead Found Somewhere in Michigan. I-Bs and I-Js are thought to date between 4500-1000 B.C.E. Although resembling some Eurasian styles, this is from the Great Lakes region and was cold-hammered and annealed, not smelted [980 x 734]

I-Bs are a common Old Copper Culture tool and weapon (there are almost 700 examples in my avocational archaeology GIS database; the number keeps increasing, and many hundreds, if not thousands, are still out there). They were likely used for butchering work based on their size, the rounded blade, use-wear, and Don Spohn's interviews with experienced butchers around Michigan who described their ideal knife. The main difference between an I-B and an I-J is the beveling. This example shows some probable use-wear and possible slight beveling above the blade's shoulders, making it a potential I-J. It was probably longer before sharpening and then getting lost, discarded, or deposited in a burial. Unfortunately (as with many Old Copper Culture artifacts), this one's find context is unknown.

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Sources:

The National Museum of the American Indian Collections – 22/7345

Don Spohn – Copper Artifact Journal, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2008, pp. 31-46

Monette Bebow-Reinhard – Updating the Wittry Typology (Phase XXV dated 3/30/25)

Warren Lee Wittry – A Preliminary Study of the Old Copper Complex, 1950, pp. 44, 49

by CopperViolette

An Old Copper Culture ‘I-B’- or ‘I-J’-style Spearhead Found Somewhere in Michigan. I-Bs and I-Js are thought to date between 4500-1000 B.C.E. Although resembling some Eurasian styles, this is from the Great Lakes region and was cold-hammered and annealed, not smelted [980 x 734]

Fish-shaped dish, glazed porcelain, Qing Dynasty China, 18thC (1876×2500)

17 Old Copper Culture “Spuds” from the Judge James R. Beer Private Collection. These are adze-like woodworking tools produced between 4500-1000 B.C.E. They were found throughout Wisconsin, and spuds have also been found in Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario, Quebec, and New York [1509 x 640]

Funerary Stele of a Woman Who Died in Childbirth, The Inscription Reads: “In the year 305, Marthana, of good soul, had given birth” – Syrian National Museum in Latakia [960×1280]

An Old Copper Culture ‘I-B’- or ‘I-J’-style Spearhead Found Somewhere in Michigan. I-Bs and I-Js are thought to date between 4500-1000 B.C.E. Although resembling some Eurasian styles, this is from the Great Lakes region and was cold-hammered and annealed, not smelted [980 x 734]

Related

Fish-shaped dish, glazed porcelain, Qing Dynasty China, 18thC (1876×2500)

17 Old Copper Culture “Spuds” from the Judge James R. Beer Private Collection. These are adze-like woodworking tools produced between 4500-1000 B.C.E. They were found throughout Wisconsin, and spuds have also been found in Michigan, Minnesota, Ontario, Quebec, and New York [1509 x 640]

Funerary Stele of a Woman Who Died in Childbirth, The Inscription Reads: “In the year 305, Marthana, of good soul, had given birth” – Syrian National Museum in Latakia [960×1280]