The Fort Ancient people were the first people in the Ohio River Valley to incorporate maize into their diet. Maize quickly became their dominant source of food (Stewart 1996). Farming maize was a very labor intensive process. To prepare fields for planting, stone axes were used to remove undergrowth. Fully grooving the axe-head allowed it to be attached onto a handle reinforced by wrapping sinew or plant fibers, which made it an effective wood-cutting tool. These axes were also used to chop down trees which were used to build houses. Since the initial production stage of groundstone tools was lengthy, they were often re-sharpened as much as possible instead of creating a new tools.
Figure 1and 2. Full-grooved groundstone axes.
Figure 3. Re-sharpened full-grooved axe.
Figure 4. Groundstone celt.
Figure 5. Groundstone adze.
Celts, also wood working tools, are basically un-grooved, symmetrical axes (Jennings 1989). Adzes are tools with a chisel-like edge and are used for gouging wood. Stone adzes were also used for stripping small branches off of bigger tree limbs. They are smaller in size and weigh much less than do stone axe heads. Their smaller size caused them to wear down more rapidly.