Geofact

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Eolith from France. Once believed to be an early hammerstone, in 1905 Marcellin Boule debunked its man-made status[1]

A geofact (a portmanteau of geology and artifact) is a natural stone formation that is difficult to distinguish from a man-made artifact. Geofacts could be fluvially reworked and be misinterpreted as an artifact, especially when compared to paleolithic artifacts.[2]

Possible examples include several purported prominent ancient artifacts, such as the Venus of Berekhat Ram and the Venus of Tan-Tan. These are thought by many in the archaeological community to be geofacts. A site which shows an abundance of what are likely geofacts is the Gulf of Cambay.

Geofacts can be distinguished from lithic debitage, through experiments and comparisons.[3] Separating geofacts from artifacts is a challenge that archaeologists can face while excavating a site.

  1. ^ Boule, M. (1905) - « L'origine des éolithes », L'Anthropologie, t. XVI, pp. 257-267.
  2. ^ Demeter, F; Patole; Edoumba, E; Duringer, P; Bacon, AM; Sytha, P; Bano, M; Laychour, V; Cheangleng, M; Sari, V (2010). "Reinterpretation of an archaeological pebble culture from the Middle Mekong River Valley, Cambodia". Geoarchaeology. 25 (1): 75–95. doi:10.1002/gea.20298.
  3. ^ Lubinski, Patrick M. (2014). "Comparative methods for distinguishing flakes from geofacts: a case study from the Wenas Creek Mammoth site". Journal of Archaeological Science. 52: 308–320. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2014.09.006.