Copper Encased in Clay

This artifact was recovered while trowelling soils near a clay bank.  When I initially looked at the object it appeared to be just a chunk of clay naturally hardened by the sun.  However, when flicking it away with my trowel, I felt the item was heavier than a regular piece of clay should be.  Intrigued, I walked over to where it had landed and picked it up.  Lightly bouncing it in my hand I could feel the weight of the object.  I gently chipped away a small chunk of hardened clay at the tip of the unusually shaped clay object.  A light green colour was exposed indicating that an oxidized copper item was encased beneath the veneer of hardened clay.  Further removal of the outside layer of clay was immediately halted.

To this day the actual “type” or “category” of the copper artifact continues to be unknown as it remains encased within the hardened clay shell.  It is approximately 6 centimetres in length and expands outwards from a pointed end to one that is flared.  Even more mysterious is how and/or why did it become encased in clay?  Was it being heated and by accident it ended up on the clay ground and lost? Or, was a coating of clay intentionally placed over the heated copper creating a protective crust?  Also, irrespective of the circumstances, how did the copper artifact remain encased for possibly thousands of years within a layer of hardened clay?  Sometimes, archaeology is long on questions but short on answers..