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*These illustrations are courtesy of Mr. Wayne Porch
A splitting wedge is a tool used to separate materials like stone or wood. It can measure between 4 and 6 inches in length and is usually 2 inches thick and equal in height. It usually appears battered on the pole end and may be chipped or broken on the bit. The top is wedge-shaped, but the sides are square and smooth. These artifacts have been recovered in a few areas, but are rare. In most instances, an axe bit may have been used rather than a wedge.
Only three examples of splitting wedges are known from Georgia. I encountered one during an ID day at the Etowah Indian Mounds that was from northwestern Georgia. Several examples came from the Tabor Bluff site in Rockdale, Georgia. Tabor Bluff is a Middle Woodland period Deptford site. The only other example known to me was from the Minors Creek site that is a Middle Woodland period Swift Creek site, also in Rockdale County, Georgia. I have been unable to find any references to this tool type in any professional archaeological report to date.
