It is worth mentioning selectiveness when looking for prehistoric artifacts, what we perceive to be an artifact, why we pick up certain stones, and why we discount others. We should not be so fast to throw stones with possible modification over our shoulders, just because they don't fit a preconceived idea of what a #prehistoric artifact should look like. Likewise we should not discount stones that show little or no modification.
It is actually bad practice, to pick up any suspected artifact without first considering responsibility for its recording, and note in memorable history. When we take stones home with us we are indeed taking something possibly quite significant away from the site and our understanding of it as a whole. This is not always the case, surface finds and unstratified materials can give us clues about new sites, but only if people get to know about the finds themselves and where they were found.
That said, if everyone left the stones in the field, nobody would learn much of anything about these stones, and the culture, or prehistoric landscape they come from.
It is also worth noting the vast veriety in #lithic implements, and the fact that you should not be selective in noting what items your site provides. This is important, so artifacts are best seen as a complete collection, across every suspected relevant item, not just those perfect hand axes, but the other things that can be found repeatedly at the site of #archeological interest. This will give a broader view of any suspected relevant #culture attached with the finds.
The photos below are some finds from my site, these were found alongside some of my more obvious artifacts. These stones are entirely natural in form or appear to have very little obvious modification, if any.
The spherical objects I presume have been collected by peoples in the prehistoric era, no doubt there are many sugestable uses for such things. The objects formed naturally underground and were obviously prized when found, if indeed linkable to the culture concerning the creation of some of the more complex #polymorphic #art. It is really without saying, that the presence of these almost perfect ball shape stones, in concentration at my site, is indicative of the presence of some kind of historical/prehistorical culture.
The other stones I also believed to hold some significance, natural #elephant head and #seal shapes in stone found next to more obviously worked atifacts holding the same set of suspected #symbology.
