About This Artifact
Three hand-forged single-bit axe heads discovered in close proximity on Lot 32 by Gary Drayton and Peter Fornetti during metal detection in Season 8. The lot sits near the southwestern corner of the swamp, between a ship's wharf and the rectangular anomaly later identified on neighbouring Lot 30.
Archaeologist Laird Niven examined the axe heads and confirmed they were certainly not modern. He identified them as forest axes - lightweight tools used for cutting limbs off trees rather than felling whole trunks. The concentration of three axe heads in such a small area led Gary Drayton to suggest the location was once the site of some sort of work camp.
Drayton believed the Lot 32 axe heads were likely the same age as artifacts recently found on nearby Lot 15, including another axe head, ox shoes, and a copper coin with a square hole - all assessed as early 1700s or older. The cluster of finds prompted Niven to note that the number of artifacts indicated significant past activity in the area.
The discovery came in the same episode where Corjan Mol and Chris Morford identified two points of interest on the island based on their geometric analysis - one of which, a shallow depression on Lot 11 near the western edge of the swamp, appeared to show evidence of prior excavation. The narrator suggested a possible connection between this feature and the Lot 32 axe heads.
Historical Context
Season 8, Episode 4: "Alignment" (December 1, 2020). Found by Gary Drayton and Peter Fornetti. Examined by archaeologist Laird Niven.
Where It Was Found
Found at Lot 32, near the southwestern corner of the swamp — Oak Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.
