Sickles

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DESCRIPTION: This rare sickle from the deserts of the Sahara, North Africa, dates from the Early Neolithic.  Sickle blades were used to cut grasses and process grains in the African Sahara Desert, dating back at least 10,000 years.  This artifact was surface collected in the 1950's by an oil exploration scientist in remote regions of the Central Sahara, and examined by the Peabody Museum. The sickle is caramel colored with light orange colored banding.  It has a fine grain sugar texture.  It measures 61mm by 32mm, nice and large and extremely thin. It is in perfect condition. 

PRICE: $84.00   SOLD   ITEM NO: SA27-D1

This rare and unique looking artifact is a triangulated sickle blade.  It was most likely hafted on the right side of the dorsal view (top).  The artifact would have been hafted parallel to the shaft so that  the left side would act as a sickle and the right side a serrated blade with the top acting as another cutting surface.  This beautiful artifact has a golden tope coloration interspersed with light orange parallel bedding planes.  It is composed of a fine grain quartzite with a fine grain sugar texture.  This piece  exhibits fine flaking and retouches on all three serrated edges.  Retouches are evident on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces.  This artifact shows evidence of useware as seen from the polished and smoothed edges on the flake scars and retouches.  The dimensions of this piece are 80mm tall, 74mm wide at the top and tapers to 30mm at the bottom of the retouched area.  The maximum thickness is 10mm near the hafted end.  This artifact dates from the Late Neolithic and some 50 centuries old, a time when farming was in its infancy.  It was discovered in the  great Sahara Desert nearly 50 years ago, in the area formally  known as French West Africa, the modern day Mali, Algeria, and Niger region.  This piece has a pedigree stemming for the collection of Ed Francis and the Phillips International Auctioneers and Valuers.  This piece is sure to please.

            PRICE: $176.00   Sold   ITEM NO: AFA-01