What is this?

[Huzzah!]

SOLVED! What is this?

Unsure of what this is. Not sure if you can see from the photos, but it is a stone with what seems to be a carved bowl. Will upload more photos if necessary.

Found in a farm field along the Cowpasture River in Bath County, Virginia. I've found a decent amount of artifacts (mostly Woodland) in the immediate area of this discovery. All input appreciated.

 

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[sawmill man]

It dos have a peculiar look. maby from holding a spindal.

 

[Kantuckkeean]

Some sort of concretion. Does it appear to have been deliberately ground?

Kindest regards,
Kantuck

 

[Huzzah!]

yes it appears to have been created with a purpose..meaning I don't think water caused this to happen. The grooves aren't all even and there isn't a single groove that runs around the entire bowl. There is some kind of red residue on the lip, but if it were used for paint I would think that residue would also be in the bowl itself.

Sawmill--was considering the same thing, but then I found myself wondering how unstable of a base that little rock would be.

Also, the bowl is more V-shaped than U-shaped.

 

[ToddsPoint]

It might be a "thunderhead". When Indians used a bow drill they used a rock on top of the spindle to steady it. The wood spindle eventually makes an indentation. Just a guess. Gary

 

[joshuaream]

It looks a lot like a fossil fish vertebrae of some type in a limestone matrix.

 

[Huzzah!]

Thanks for the responses guys!

Joshuaream--I think you hit the nail on the head! I have also dug fossils in the area and it would make perfect sense for this piece to be exactly what you suggest!

Mystery solved! Huzzah!