Rare obsidian artifact found in Edmonton couple's backyard, puzzling experts

An Edmonton couple discovered a potential prehistoric artifact in their front yard last year while doing some landscaping.
Jennifer Yeoman and Hector Lomack found a 4.6-pound chunk of obsidian core, which is a type of volcanic glass that doesn't usually form in Alberta due to the lack of volcanoes.
Archeologists are now investigating the discovery further to determine its historical significance.
Global's Jaclyn Kucey reports.
For more info, please go to globalnews.ca/news/10458681/e...
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[@HalifaxPeacock]

“Living out her childhood dream of being an archaeologist.” Awesome 💜

[@chapstradamus]

She seems like such a sweet person

[@annew8365]

Isn’t it great that Mrs. Yeoman wanted to be an archeologist and will now have a dig in her own backyard?! ❤

[@imaxdigital7052]

This literally could just be a big chunk of obsidian that a previous homeowner brought back from a road trip or something.

[@MikeDoran]

My thoughts exactly.

[@QuantumMechanic_88]

The "expert" doesn't know what a discoidal fracture is.

[@marcoallin]

most likely

[@TheosLogos]

Yeah... i knew a knapper that makes arrow heads for fun and even leaves them stuck in trees and on pathways just to mess with experts like this, im sure he also tossed his scrap.

[@adampatterson]

@@TheosLogos I'm sure they have lived in that home for a few decades. But most developments have a few inches of topsoil put down before the landscaping so a rock like seems like it would have been disturbed when the neighbourhood was being built or maybe it was and it was just ignored.

[@scottprather5645]

Very cool love to get an update on what they find

[@jokamminga1736]

My backyard in Australia would be a bonanza of exotic rock types (including chunks of obsidian) for any subsequent house owner or archaeologist to find. But then I’m an archaeologist and it’s exactly what you would expect to find lying around or half buried. There are at least four universities in Edmonton that teach archaeology, meaning thousands of archaeology students and many professors. Best to check to see who had previously owned or rented the house.

[@nataliekate2176]

Where abouts in Aus? I would love to find something as cool as this in my backyard lol.

[@jokamminga1736]

Geological sources of obsidian don't really occur in Australia. The closest sources are in New Guinea and New Zealand. The obsidian I had was for experimental research along wit ha lot of other stone types. My source was lava flow in Oregon. My own properties are in Canberra and Sydney, but I live in Thailand most of the time and I commute back and forth. Obsidian is interesting for a number of reasons, for instance, a freshly made flake has the sharpest edge of any natural solid object on earth, much sharper than a steal scalpel used for surgery. If you really want some obsidian best to go to New Zealand for a holiday and collect some. Good luck!

[@karenfyhr2363]

An archaeologist wouldn't bury a huge piece of obsidian in their yard if they had it, they would be showing it off inside their house

[@jokamminga1736]

It depends. Of course it can always be an item traded into the area. But obsidian is part and parcel of our business, especially for those who practice flintknapping' at home, which is not uncommon. If a flintknapper did live in the house at some time then there will probably be more to be found.

[@seeharvester]

If she digs beneath where that obsidian stone was at the base of that rock wall, she may find a tin box with a bunch of $50 dollar bills and a note from Andy Dufresne.

[@wilburkookmeyer5804]

Huh?🤙🏻

[@hereticpariah6_66]

​@@wilburkookmeyer5804it's a _"Shawshank Redemption"_ reference

[@wilburkookmeyer5804]

@@hereticpariah6_66 Gotcha!🤙🏻SHAKA

[@hereticpariah6_66]

@@wilburkookmeyer5804 *_D'OH!_*

[@xmarks-spot]

Exactly what I was thinking 😅

[@rEdf196]

In the mid 1990's I went Cretaceous fossil hunting on a beach near Parksville Canada and found a discarded 2 inch black rock looking worn and rounded from the beach sand but had a fresh break on one side with the unmistakable look of broken obsidian. I would guess the rock was broken by a previous fossil hunter then thrown away. I originally assumed the obsidian was encased in 70 to 80 million year old fossil matrix from Cretaceous times which was documented that a nearby volcano existed from that era. It wasn't until a decade later when after hearing a professional archeologist. I discovered the object was more likely deposited much more recently by ancient humans from centuries or even millenniums past. Theoretically the obsidian likely traveled hundreds or thousands of miles carried by ancient native humans on land or by canoe from distant volcanic areas from the North American mainland. I still have that black rock today.

[@katharineg.7686]

As a fellow Edmontonian, I am excited for you. Please keep us updated!

[@TheDriller571]

I have a piece of obsidian rock sitting outside my door that weighs about 20 pounds or more and I live in North Eastern Nevada. I also found a piece of Coal in West Central Manitoba back in the 1970s. Later on they discovered a Coal Seam about 40 miles away that they couldn’t explain.

[@shuff1111]

I have a piece probably 50 or 60 pounds!!!

[@BigTrees4ever]

Good old 1070, one of my favorite years. I too was finding coal back in those days

[@jakemoeller7850]

Ms. Yeoman will be having some fun this season! I have found artifacts in my yard, also. It's very exciting when one presents itself.

[@sarahporter9541]

As a Rockhound..this is so much fun. A beautiful piece of obsidian..and now waiting for additional info as the time goes by.

[@oooloo99]

Thank you for sharing!!

[@Astr0b0y8]

How cool!

[@stephanieyee9784]

That is stunning. What a wonderful find for this lady.

[@stoneyswolf]

Ya the government is gonna take over her yard tear it up and leave she's blessed.

[@Lou.B]

GREAT story! Keep us posted!

[@scottlund4562]

Awesome! The trade network was amazingly vast. Minnesota Woman died 7,000 plus years ago and she was found with a seashell only from Florida.

[@UEE-kj6ek]

mustve bought it off amazon

[@scottlund4562]

@@UEE-kj6ek Both scenarios are possible

[@foamer443]

Exactly. Most people these days seem to think that the various people either didn't trade all or only with their closest neighbours. Which of course is like links in a chain, so items could be moved as far along until they were desired by someone.

[@scottlund4562]

@UEE-kj6ek lol, just caught that now. 😂 Maybe Paleo-Bay

[@periodicboutsofintelligenc7789]

The Shuswap and Kutenai of British Columbia, the Coeur d'Alene and Nez Percé of Idaho, and the Flathead of Montana all traded together. Why is this mysterious?

[@thehangingparsiple5692]

There's no mystery, just that it's extremely rare to find in that area. But obviously you know more than the archaeologists 🙄

[@MrBoratWOW]

@@thehangingparsiple5692 I bet you still think the shot is “safe and effective”……

[@nickdeagle3271]

Great attitude. It will be an exciting adventure, indeed. I hope you have a great time with it.

[@dadoo7496]

It’s wasn’t found near a long wall under a lone tree on the hill was it. Oh, Andy.

[@marinamartinez6886]

So cool, I'm sure she'll enjoy seeing what the archeologists uncover. 😊

[@Hardworkandrealestateprofits]

That will be very interesting for the lady to be able to watch that take place in her own backyard

[@123uschie]

Awesome discovery!

[@ktefccre]

Everyone should start digging in their own backyard. Who knows what we'll find!

[@bat_hanna]

I found some cool stuff yesterday digging up a new garden bed. Think this story is amazing!

[@UEE-kj6ek]

a couple years ago i found an arrowhead and a beautful burlington chert hide scraper in my dad's garden. After doing some local research i found out a large tribe of kickapoo indians lived in my backyard about 300 - 600 years ago. I cant imagine what else is in the soil

[@greeceuranusputin]

Guaranteed they'd find some obsidian. People have been dragging that stuff home as long as there has been people. There's plenty to be had in this state, we collected it as kids.

[@shawnmichaelmckay7007]

@@bat_hanna Tell me when you hit the permafrost. I'm doing research on ignorance.

[@bat_hanna]

@@shawnmichaelmckay7007 It's the lack of knowledge that'll get ya. Like finding uranium. I've been digging the dirt over thirty years dear. Here you'll find a layer of ashe about a foot down. I don't have any reason to dig any farther. From fossils, native artifacts, Paleo tools, meteorites, a sabertooth's tooth, mammoth remains(baby teeth, adult tusk, bone fragments, gems of all kinds, including rough diamonds. Nicest find was a British Captain's button from the French and Indian war over on a wagon trail used to route salt. I find stuff that is found in other areas of the US here. Like herkimers along with the same fossils found in upstate New York, yet in the southern Appalachia. So study away on ignorance dear. I can only be labeled stupid if I don't know what I'm looking at. Cheerio🕊️

[@user9b2]

Hope she has a blast watching all the activities in her backyard. 👏👏

[@robertmclean9737]

Ancient people had vast trade routes, many Artifacts are made from material that only come from one place. Example! Alibates Chert comes from Texas, it is Red with white inclusions. Artifacts made from it have been found in the Mid West.

[@stevensims3342]

I remember reading how obsidian scalpels cut on the molecular level. Obsidian is really amazing.

[@Stardusted1]

Fantastic!! Wish I’d find some in my yard! Dig away.

[@antonmalinsky7118]

Obsidian was extremely rare to early people because it could be easily worked and because if it’s sharpness. And there would be trade routes going for thousands of kilometers for items like this.

[@SD-vy7gj]

Useful? Not rare?

[@ganggreen9012]

In the late 1980's I participated in an archaeological dig at the Flint Ridge State Memorial in Ohio. One of the things we did was tour the museum there where they had a collection of obsidian artifacts that were made from obsidian sourced thousands of miles away and they said that there were Flint Ridge flint artifacts in the area that the obsidian had been sourced from.

[@kimrocksthetrees]

Rare in some landscapes, yes. Plentiful in others.

[@lisahernandez919]

We have obsidian here in NM my brother in law dug it up all the time 😊 such a wonderful crystal!

[@staypuft3120]

It's called trade. People traded for it.

[@dennisbarker5986]

Id love to see her document the dig and share it with us on KZbin

[@choccolocco]

Awesome.

[@JS-jh4cy]

Damn stone age man dropped the rock out of the reed and grass backpack

[@occamsrazor7939]

So cool.

[@grimmreaperx9341]

so thats where i left it

[@thehangingparsiple5692]

Lol

[@Ron-rs2zl]

Looks like plenty of usable raw material left.

[@Anson120]

Yeah, anyone watch Creepshow ( The lonely life of Gordy Verral). "Gotta take it to the college!". Yeah, Obsidian was like gold to the indigenous people. They even buried it in graves with their loved ones. It is pretty intense and scary to knapp with too. I am just a very beginner though.

[@wilburkookmeyer5804]

Yeah, she might want to reconsider and go put it back along with an offering of tobacco or such to avoid any bad luck if it so happens to be an Indian burial site.🤙🏻

[@tullymahin]

It belongs in a museum!

[@BCVS777]

Obsidian is a popular type of rock that people pick up. It’s more likely it was transported north recently than in ancient times.

[@Ron-rs2zl]

The rock,regardless of when it was transported,was probably worked in ancient times. Further excavations will tell more about when, should they find more evidence of human activity.

[@mikehannah9782]

IT PROBABLY CAME UP FROM FORT HALL IN A 57 APACHE PICKUP.

[@pirobot668beta]

Sea-shells, flint, pottery, pemmican, beads...all were Trade Goods. The native peoples of the area had an extensive trading system...from Northern California to Alaska.

[@kirkboivin4357]

Good grief man don't say it was a native item, we're going to have shut down Edmonton till we sort out which native group we have to give Edmonton to.

[@YouTube_is_full_of_trolls]

That poor women's back 😢 I'm sure that is painful. I'm super excited she found this though

[@jenniferindigochameleon6680]

It’s why children need to be told to sit up straight.

[@BhairavaDas]

Plot twist, last homeowner was a mineral and rock hound and put rocks in their garden...

[@rls5938]

so much for the garden idea............

[@neilmaverick7035]

Great find for your town

[@BornAgainCynic0086]

Looks like an ancient door stop.

[@AncintArt2ndColony]

1:32 See the face on the left side of the core piece ! This piece from this position appears to be a hand axe ! You can faintly see the cutting edge following the back of the cranium and down to the chin ! A Very nice piece if I'm correct ! 👍

[@Farmer_26]

Very cool

[@drivenserb7152]

That’s interesting I dug up something very similar to this in Toronto, double the size it’s still in the backyard I will have to take a closer look. I thought it was a piece of old charcoal or a petrified timber but now I’m wondering if it’s obsedian!

[@saucesecrete]

nice

[@Nurse_Diesel]

So lucky!

[@ontheroadwithyode390]

First nations traded materials. Im from Nelson BC on Kootenay lake and myself, my mother and my grandfather have found arrowheads here made of obsidian and there is no local source. It came from somewhere else...maybe Edmonton.

[@jskjsk3986]

People have been collecting rocks forever. It may have been put in the yard back in the 1950's marking a buried pet or decorating the garden.

[@RogueReplicant]

It's not just a rock. It's obsidian, sharper than a surgeon's scalpel. It can be used to make spears and club-swords as well as knives and hatchets.

[@jskjsk3986]

@@RogueReplicant Understood, I had a small collection of stone tools that I found over the years. One of which went with my son to Florida. Someday someone may wonder how it got there.

[@rfbftp123]

100% left there its still in the front garden above soil height lol

[@rfbftp123]

​​@@RogueReplicantthats not very true, obsidian is very abundant here in new zealand and the natives made knives out of them too... I find them all the time.. sharp, yes... Surgeon scalpel? Nope unless very lucky on the strike

[@RogueReplicant]

@@rfbftp123 The Aztecs could make surgical grade obsidian as did the Maya. It is well documented by Spaniards. And obsidian never has to be sharpened.

[@maddmatt9239]

We gave out tons of that at SFCC in Spokane, Washington. Part of anthropology class/ stone age survival

[@ForestWhittaker-kd8qu]

That would be so damn cool. It's my dream to be an archeologist

[@matthewbooth9265]

Well i hope they find something interesting this summer then, and that i get to hear about it:) great find. I found a small chunk of obsidian here in england and wonder how it got there.....though it is not far from where victorian rubbish was dumped.

[@dglolz7227]

Nice.

[@sitindogmas]

thats awesome

[@angelicabotones8559]

Two options: whether it was there because it could be an archeological site and this was traded, and that is incredible. Or someone brought it recently. I have a knack for flinting obsidian and have brought and bought material from Mexico and made my experimental tools in Alberta.

[@raph3156]

Okay, this is amazing 💖💙💖💙💖

[@billgrover5087]

I found a chunk that size im yard when i was a kid living in Sarnia Ontario. Mid 70's

[@SMunro]

Dont forgett to put the pool in when they are done digging.

[@michelestellar7725]

Perhaps someone from Idaho moved there in the past few decades and brought it as a novelty he found in the 'wilds' of Idaho. There is no way of being certain who put it there or when. Now her yard is going to be dug up. Lesson learned...

[@CricketsBay]

Having her yard dug up by Archeologists is a dream come true for her. That's what the entire video was about.

[@MrSCOTTtheSCOT]

Lookin at her yard by the time they finish they will probably landscape it into a better form

[@michelestellar7725]

I have learned in a long life, be careful of what you ask for, you just might get it... Maybe some indigenous people will claim the site next.

[@shawnmichaelmckay7007]

Can people walk from Edmonton to somewhere in Idaho? Don't answer. If some lunatic from Ontario can end up in South America by walking then yes numnuts, ancient indigenous people must have migrated south of the Canadian border to Idaho during the cold months. On their ancient way back to Edmonton, guess what? They brought along some lovely obsidian to make hunting tools. Why is that a big deal?

[@seannicholson8498]

Cool

[@SelenaThompson-rt5fs]

Its likely that what she said was true. If someone chooses to study the area more, they need to definitely use some sort of ground mapping akin to what divers use to find objects and remains in hard to see places/lower depth places. Maybe they can uncover history never heard before.

[@pucmahone3893]

Roy Orbison! Wow, right in their backyard !

[@leban9958]

Nice

[@laxminarayananks1520]

1:14 I use the same username & password for my XRF gun mate😂

[@sunnydavidson297]

What a great story and so informative! Tu. Bet they may find other "goodies" in the garden besides the obsidian. 🤗🇺🇲

[@Throbbit]

Being a flintknapper, I can say with confidence that chunk was recently worked, it is not a native american artifact.

[@kimrocksthetrees]

Say whatever you like, but the analytics tell a completely different story. 🤦‍♀️

[@huolalupin6008]

Lovely story

[@TemptatioN103]

“This is our last great adventure” was so sad😢

[@ubidiboo2068]

i have one of these!

[@albertapeet]

We have a small rock garden in the back yard that is littered with Obsidian , much bigger than that.

[@CtrlAltPurr]

Lucky

[@royjohnson465]

Show them to the Royal Alberta Museum.

[@TechOttawa]

You can submit a report to the Alberta Obsidian Project. Sometimes these can be from the Yukon volcano Edziza. Or Oregon. They have a simple test.

[@stephanieyee9784]

Are they hand knapped ancient tools? Handaxes? Or just lumps of obsidian?

[@Horus2Osiris]

Not a mystery. Supervolcanoes shoot car sized pieces thousands of miles. I have trade pieces from ancient history. Obsidian was steel, before there was steel.

[@__logan__duvalier__]

could have been brought from another area during prehistoric times or even brought back from a holiday trip relatively recently

[@yarnycat_crochet]

What a dream 😮❤

[@TheArt4M]

Fascinating!

[@picknowell]

That rock is a trade item. Could have bought 5 squas. It is enough cutlery for a small villiage for years.

[@SouthJerseyBaitReviews]

i didn't even realize there was a volcano in idaho wth.

[@DinorwicSongwriter]

Was it by a rock wall under a big old oak tree?

[@user-ll7jp3bz5f]

I have similar rock for so many years I don’t know who to contact to authenticate my rock

[@Zane1414]

Before I moved out, I dumped a bunch of fossil corals and shells in a garden bed next to the house. I hope they find them.

[@MysteryGrey]

I did that, also. I got a chance to drive by there months later and saw the owner having fun out in those rocks that I left thee to raise the vibration of the place for them.

[@davelink1318]

Southern Idaho, that's a long way's away , maybe ware the Fenn cache was found? Wouldn't that be cool!

[@gregvisioninfosoft]

Couldnt be that someone merely tossed it there... naw....

[@Group_Anonymous]

A reminder that everybody to stop slouching and straighten up ⬆️

[@yongyea4147]

It was brought there and put in a garden 30 years prior.

[@islguy420]

Weird I've got a chunk I found on a remote island

[@Jen-zk9se]

Ooooh you cursed now!

[@MB-yh1ch]

Glad she is enjoying the moment.

[@TheOctubre12]

How lucky is Mrs. Yeoman, to find obsidian in her backyard. I’m attracted all my life with natural stones, I have my own obsidian necklace favor many years!🙌👏🏻😍

[@scottowens1535]

The most interesting thing here is that isn't the usual technique used in the America's. It's a very early and specific technology. The fact it's north of the last ice margin and with distance from source seems to me to be someone's hobby stone being so close to the surface or extremely ancient which brings up it's own set of problems.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

I'd love to know how far that rock travelled with people to end up there.

[@Chad-Giga.]

Funny how I put a bigger obsidian boulder on my cats grave

[@randybarnes8454]

We found a ancient sewer pipe and ancient septic tank is probably what they'll discover.

[@frankvqz3799]

Oh wow. Very cool

[@missiletm]

“Looks like Ya found ya a shiny Black Rock there, eh?” “Take off hoser”

[@kto_66]

I live in Ontario Canada and had no idea that it was a rare Rock I have it in my backyard too

[@TheYendorian]

Hahahah ima take the obsidian rock off my shelf put it in my garden then call the news hahahahahhahaha

[@Wicknews8100]

That's nothing guys.....

[@executivesteps]

It’s most likely it was placed there by someone as a garden ornament. I have of piece of rose quartz in my garden I collected from Dillion MT years ago. I live in NJ.

[@petramundo]

How I find points on my property easily. no flint so they totally stand out, and the others are white quartz which are easy to pick up as all my quartz is orange

[@user-zf3xb3qx8w]

if it's out of Idaho, easy peasy the Kootenai went through the Crows Nest Pass to hunt buffalo. Since they were on Souix and/or Blood territory it could easilly have been brought to bargain for hunting rights. From there to trading with the Cree into midlands Alberta (Edmonton) would be also easy. OR some rock hound living in town brought it back on vacation!! (doubtfull, this piece HAS been obviously used to knapp flakes.

[@stephanieyee9784]

^ Sioux.