Artifact ???

[Mine Shaft]

My uncle found this round rock on a camping trip in the eastern sierras around 1960, it dose not look natural to me. If its a Indian tool wonder what it was used for ? thanks for any info.

 

[lairmo]

looks like ones I picked up in rivers and on beaches in the Washington/ Oregon area...?

 

[welsbury]

Could well be a mano. Cannot see the surface well enough to tell. Looks like a normal river rock but that is what they started with a lot of the time.

 

[Mine Shaft]

Whats a mano lol, the privet ranch where he camped is at 7500ft there is a creek down below.

 

[welsbury]

It is a stone they used with a metate, which is like a flat platter like stone. They would grind up seeds and such with them. You would rub the mano on the metate with the seed in between. After some use you can see the smoothed rub marks on the face of the stone.

 

[welsbury]

Around my area a lot of people call them rub rocks and platters. lol

 

[Mine Shaft]

Thank you welsbury.

 

[quito]

If I had found it on one of the sites I hunt, it would be coming home with me. We don't find natural rocks like that up here.

 

[dognose]

I agree it could be a mano.

It may also be a game stone such as a discoidal, may be a biscuit discoidal. discoidals come in many sizes and shapes, from small to large.

If you don't already have a loupe, get a good one with a light and look at the surface under magnification. You should see evidence of it being worked into shape if its not natural.

Here are some examples of discoidals. Note this example from California

 

[sandchip]

I agree also with mano or discoidal. I'd dang sure take it home.

 

[Mine Shaft]

Thanks you guys for the input, i know a little about Indian artifacts i just could not find this in my books.

 

[rock]

Thanks you guys for the input, i know a little about Indian artifacts i just could not find this in my books.

Did you buy those?

 

[Mine Shaft]

Yes rock, estate's/ebay