Found a sweet artifact in the creek....(Grinding Table)

[creekwalker]

Walked a new creek system today for the first time. Found several pieces of flint but not much else in the way of an "arrowhead". On the way back to the truck, fate intervened and I noticed an odd looking stone. When I picked it up, I was thrilled to discover that it was actually a super sweet grinding stone. It has a deep indention and the diameter is about the size of a softball. You can see the grooves of where it was ground down with repeated use. Again, I don't know what prompted me to focus on this particular stone, as it looked like a lump of clay sitting there. I had already gone stone-blind from staring at piles of rocks for 3 1/2 hours. I guess seeing the pebbles resting on top of the stone tipped me off that something was up. The photos just can't convey what the relic really looks like. It's a no-brainer archaic artifact. Pretty cool! Never know what you'll find. Maybe it's mate, the pestle will turn up someday. The moral of the story is "never give up, believe that you WILL find what you're looking for!". May the new year bring hope and cheer.......Creekwalker

 

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[augusthog]

Rock and roll

 

[TORRERO]

I can see this and I can see how this is easy to believe, but how do you really know
that this was not created over thousands of years or even Millions of years of water errosion.
I've seen similar rocks with grooved out centers and was told that sand and stones moving with the
water action can cause these dips over thousands of years...
How do you really know ?

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Hello Brent,

I've been following your posts for a while now and the relics that you keep finding just blow my mind! Please excuse my lack of knowledge when it comes to artifacts like this.

Can you tell me how old this piece might be? Also, can you speculate for me on how these items, like the grinding table and stone arrow points find their way into your local creeks.

I've walked creeks and rivers a lot and I've never found anything like this before!

Thanks,
Dave

 

[cuzcosquirrel]

I think water erosion produces a lot of flat stone surfaces on which to prepare food and work. There is also the water to drink. There are a lot of acorn grinding holes along the flat surfaces of exposed bed rock in N. California.

 

[trixie charger]

Where I live we have a 4acre field and a large creek also. It IS a Native American Grinding stone. Me and Dad have found three stones with two pestles. Also numerous Arrowheads in the field and I have found Spearheads and one Knife blade, although ours are not as beautiful as his.

 

[Brian(upstateNY-Central Fla.)]

very nice

 

[mud dog (aka) Salty Dog]

Interesting piece,makes me wonder how many of those i have walked over ,Thanks for sharing,Dave

 

[TORRERO]

Where I live we have a 4acre field and a large creek also. It IS a Native American Grinding stone. Me and Dad have found three stones with two pestles. Also numerous Arrowheads in the field and I have found Spearheads and one Knife blade, although ours are not as beautiful as his.

So artifacts like this are mainly by association, which is OK if your in a situation like you are in.
If you have found several on this site in the past and now have found another it stands to reason of
course.
Also I have always wondered have you hunted the 4 acre field with a metal detector and if so what
have you found if anything ?
Richard

 

[crazyjarhead]

Given what creekwalker has stated and where he lives and most importantly, the artifacts that he has recovered from this area I would think taht it tends to lean towards the real thing

 

[creekwalker]

Torrero doubts this being a man-made artifact and wonders if this isn't just a rock that has been naturally eroded. That's quite alright. Here comes the education. All I can say is, a serious relic hunter such as myself, who approaches it with discipline and a professional demeanor, has trained their eyes to find evidence of man-made alterations in stone. How did I do this? By literally spending hundreds and hundreds of hours "in the field" walking, climbing, digging, researching ect. The thing is, I have found similar relics complete with grinding stones and pestles on digging sites, buried deep in the dirt. So, did water erode out the centers of those? I think not. Three indicators that give it away are #1 You can't really tell in the photos, but there are striations and grooves in the center indicating extensive wear and use. #2 There is a hard, dark stained layer in the depression that is the result of human skin oils repeatedly coming into contact with the surface and staining it. (Same thing as if you touched an active cave formation. The oils from your skin bleed into the pores of the stone, effectively sealing them off and staining them forever). #3 On the bottom, down in the pores of the stone, there are charcoal deposits, indicating that this stone was at one time exposed to fire and then buried in the soil for a long time, before it washed into the creek. So, adding up all the evidence, and just being in the know as I am, this is without a doubt an ancient artifact. While a lot of stones do indeed get their shape from erosion, you have to examine and understand the context of where it was found. This particular creek has produced a wide variety of outstanding relics over the years as there is a large archaic archaeological site nearby that sits up on the banks. Unfortunately, It sits on someone else's land. I hope this has given you a little insight. Just remember, Creekwalker never expounds upon a subject without knowing exactly what he's talking about! -Creekwalker

 

[KOOTNEY KID]

Sweet as always,looking forward to your
next post thanks
K.KID.

 

[RollaTiger]

Sorry, naturally formed. And no.......self-proclaimed expertise, does not count.

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Sorry, naturally formed. And no.......self-proclaimed expertise, does not count.

Actually, "self-proclaimed expertise" is what we all have here!
Without the learning experience that we call life, we would all be experience poor! :P

 

[txconservative]

Sweet finds......

I really wouldn't think you'd take the time of day to post such a thing if you didn't know what you were talkin' about

Keep em comin!!

 

[Mr Tuff]

great find!!!!! and i thought i was happy with my point i found today :P MR TUFF

 

[TORRERO]

Torrero doubts this being a man-made artifact and wonders if this isn't just a rock that has been naturally eroded.

I did not say I doubted you, only asking how you can determine this.
But I also came back and said that if you are getting several of these from a known site I'm sure it's
easier to determine this from a something naturally eroded.
I'm sure there are many people here who would ask...
"If I am walking a creek here at home and I see a lot of rocks with bowl shaped centers how can I tell
if it's something I should pick up or not"
Arrowheads are pretty self explanatory, stone ax-heads too, but if I'm walking a creek there seems to be a
lot of rocks like this...
I think that is what I am referring to...

And did you say you were able to use a metal detector on this Indian site ?
Wondering if anything would come up on site like this from early colonial times....

 

[SGVALLEYMAN]

Wonderful Find, and once again Good eyes out there !
Keep em coming !

 

[trixie charger]

CreekWalker,

I being of a Native American decent have a huge intrest in all artifacts for our history!. If anyone has been to a reputable Museum, they have seen in displays the items in question. Even the Smithsonion has multiple grinder on display in their Natural History and Native American buildings. My family and myself have 7 trips to DC to the Museum's.

 

[AMorgan]

Depending on what part of Mississippi that this came from, a large chunk of sandstone of that size with the center worn out certainly is NOT a naturally occuring form of the material.

As a practicing Geologist with Archaeological training and direct experience in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, Creekwalker is DEAD ON with his identification.

Sandstone cobbles will wear from the sharpest corners FIRST. If this were part of the creek bed, I would suspect it to be natural, but it is not...

Alan Morgan
B.S. Geology
M.S. Geosciences
Archaeological field training at Poverty Point, Summer 1993
Hunting artifacts since 1984