[meteorite-list] Re: Warning About Libyan Desert Glass Artifacts

[kaolinite at ctc.net]

David wrote:

>"I have a question....are you calling Libyan 
>desert glass "specimens" as we all know 
>them, (melted fused glassy sand).....are 
>you calling these   "artifact"?  I have not 
>seen these Libyan desert glass artifacts......
>just  the specimens.   I have never heard 
>them addressed as "artifacts" in the past.
>Could you provide us an example of the 
>terminology of which you/authorities speak?
>Confused and fused,

The defintion of "artifact" called "artefact", by the English 
and Europeans that I used is:

An artifact is any object created by human activity and 
later discarded or lost. Types of artifacts, include 
prehistoric stone tools such as projectile points; 
ceramic sherds; grinding slabs; Neolithic and Paleolithic 
blades; and historic artifacts include objects made of 
glass; metal; brick; concrete; mortar; ceramic; and so forth.

Chunks of Libyan desert glass **unmodified** by prehistoric 
human hands are **not** artifacts. A piece of Libyan desert 
glass only became an artifact when it was modified by 
prehistoric humans to produce a projectile point, waste 
flakes, suckle blades, Paleolithic and Neolithic blades;
and other tools. These are artifacts, which would be 
covered by Egyptian antiquity laws. 

Yours,

Keith Littleton
St. Tammany Parish, LA