 The standard rough characterization of an artifact is that it is an object created by people to perform some function (see Hilpinen 1992a, Dipert 1993; entry on  artifact).  This characterization excludes objects that are used to perform functions but are not made by a person. A rock might be used as a hammer, or a piece of driftwood as decoration. Other objects are made by people but without any functional intention, such as scraps of metal produced in making a blade. The functionality of an object can also be de-coupled from its making: someone might, for instance, decide that an unmodified pile of scrap metal is sculpture.