Carved hammerstone?,or natural occurance

[theviking]

This hammer or anvil stone was found in northwest Virginia. It looks and feels like it has a few carvings on it,or maybe i am seeing things. In the first pic it looks like a snake. Second pic, maybe a fish,head on left and tail on far right. Any info or comments would be great.

 

[jeff a]

Re: Carved hammerstone?,or natural occuracnce.

first of all welcome to tnet, looks like a neat geofact to me

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Re: Carved hammerstone?,or natural occuracnce.

Welcome to the forum theviking. Like Jeff said, I don't see anything but a natural rock and not an artifact.

 

[theviking]

Re: Carved hammerstone?,or natural occuracnce.

Thank you for the welcome.After taking a closer look it seems like the images were pecked into the stone,but i am not a professional,and probably just seeing what i want to see.Here are a few more pics. The last pic is of other items found at same site.
Thank you for your comments.

 

[allen]

Re: Carved hammerstone?,or natural occuracnce.

i see the images also,
but could it be our imagination?
welcome to tnet

 

[Tnmountains]

Re: Carved hammerstone?,or natural occuracnce.

Welcome to T-Net. I see it too but it may be a fossil. I always pick those up too. I found one that I swear had an indian on it but it was just a geo fact. .Fun to find and shows how hard we look.

TnMtns

 

[Noodle]

Re: Carved hammerstone?,or natural occuracnce.

And who's to say that a young Indian sprout didn't sit around one day, bored, and tapped a design on the stone? I love these items! Great finds and wonderful wonderments... -Noodle

 

[Th3rty7]

Re: Carved hammerstone?,or natural occuracnce.

Welcome aboard viking, good to see some more Va. artifacts on the board. I'm not sure about your piece, but will say that quartzite material is something I've seen alot of Va tools made of. I've got a discoidal and a couple hammers made of the same material. I tend to agree with you that it was a hammerstone, I'm just not sure if those " cavings " are manmade or natural? Interesting piece that I'd like to examine in my hand to give a better opinion. Let's see some more of your Va. finds.

 

[theviking]

Re: Carved hammerstone?,or natural occuracnce.

Thanks again for the welcome, and comments. Thanks for the info Thirty7, if you would like to see the hammerstone we might be able to work that out. Here are a few more of the items i have found on our property, located on a bluff, over looking a creek about a half mile from the Shenandoah river. Please excuse my grammar, i am completely computer stupid.
Thanks again for all your comments.

 

[oldgoat]

Welcome to the NET...I did see the images also, not just your imagination...
You are not allowed to steal my line, tho..."I'm computer stupid..." it's mine I had it copyrighted...lol.

 

[Th3rty7]

Somehow I missed the last pieces you posted. Looks like you're in the quartzite zone of Virginia. I've got some points and tools found along the Shenondoah river near Harrisonburg, mostly blue flint, chert, and quartzite.

 

[docmann]

TVik,
I've got a good supply of quartzite out here on the Great Plains of Western Oklahoma. I see all of the beautiful flint on TNET, and am typically too ashamed to show my gray-brown quartzite pieces. Makes a fellow feel inferior. Nonetheless, lots of it used in places, especially in my neck of the woods. Fortunately, I've stumbled onto a few flakes of real flint here and there and so I feel like I can at least carry the water for some of these heavyweights. Some good folks here who know their rocks (and bones). welcome to town.
Docmann

 

[theviking]

TVik,
I've got a good supply of quartzite out here on the Great Plains of Western Oklahoma. I see all of the beautiful flint on TNET, and am typically too ashamed to show my gray-brown quartzite pieces. Makes a fellow feel inferior. Nonetheless, lots of it used in places, especially in my neck of the woods. Fortunately, I've stumbled onto a few flakes of real flint here and there and so I feel like I can at least carry the water for some of these heavyweights. Some good folks here who know their rocks (and bones). welcome to town.
Docmann

Inferior? I dont even get that. I guess my problem is that i just dont care what people think of me. Maybe some day i will get lucky and find some real flint.
Thanks for the welcome.

 

[Tnmountains]

TVik,
I've got a good supply of quartzite out here on the Great Plains of Western Oklahoma. I see all of the beautiful flint on TNET, and am typically too ashamed to show my gray-brown quartzite pieces. Makes a fellow feel inferior. Nonetheless, lots of it used in places, especially in my neck of the woods. Fortunately, I've stumbled onto a few flakes of real flint here and there and so I feel like I can at least carry the water for some of these heavyweights. Some good folks here who know their rocks (and bones). welcome to town.
Docmann

Inferior? I dont even get that. I guess my problem is that i just dont care what people think of me. Maybe some day i will get lucky and find some real flint.
Thanks for the welcome.

Man I am in the backwoods of Tennessee. I do not think I have any real flint either its all some type of chert or something Somebody once told me I was scrapeing at the bottom of the lithic barrel,lmao...My point being is these guys have sure taught me bunches. We always are wanting to see what the Virginia guys are showing.
Nice finds and look forward top seeing the hunts.
HH
TnMtns

 

[Th3rty7]

" I guess my problem is that I just don't care what people think of me " That's not a problem imo, it's a good thing. This lithic hierarchy is sort of ridiculous I think, they were more concerned with making tools and weapons to survive not how pretty it looked. Everyone is entitled to their own preferences imo. I know alot of people would be absolutely thrilled to find a quartzite artifact.

 

[docmann]

Life is full of irony. I went out yesterday, and apart from a half dozen pieces of Alibates, I found nothing but quartzite. An artifact is an artifact. I found several nice scrapers with worked edges, a broken knife, and a nice sandstone abrader. I've never worried too much about the pretty factor myself, although it is nice to get a nice variety. I'll shoot some photos later.
Doc

 

[theviking]

You are right Docmann, variety is nice. One of my favorite finds is a broken arrowhead or point, the red one in the middle of the fifth pic. I think it is archaic, the material maybe jasper, but I am not sure. Looking forward to see your last finds.