Hammer Stone?? Dentate Stamp??

[-=METAL=-]

Hey guys,

Not sure if these are anything. The round stone has a smooth-ish side and a rough-ish side that I tried to show in the pictures, I'm expecting it to be just a rock but wanted to make sure. The second one I think could possibly be a dentate stamp, but my guide describes it as a flake tool. Since this isn't a flake, I'm not sure. Also not sure if they would have used quartz for a dentate stamp. As always, thanks in advance for the help, looking forward to hearing what you guys think.

 

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[NCPeaches]

I'm not sure about them because I'm not good at identifying tools and have several cobbles/possible tools I haven't posted and prolly need to lol...but someone will come along and let you know what they think.

 

[rock]

Well I don't find any rocks that perfect in shape like the first one. Is it stone or pottery? Im not sure myself. But the 2nd one looks natural to me. And again it could be something broken. Don't think I was much help.

 

[-=METAL=-]

Any response is appreciated rock!

 

[-=METAL=-]

Oh, and the first one is stone, I was kind of expecting to strike out with these.. I'm still trying to learn what things are and what they aren't.

 

[rock]

If I had found a stone that round I would of carried it home no doubt.

 

[NCPeaches]

If I had found a stone that round I would of carried it home no doubt.

Yep me too! I always carry them home.

 

[ptsofnc]

Sometimes we just don't know. Maybe used for something or some purpose, maybe not. I sometimes think it is best for mysteries to remain mysteries. If we figure everything out, well, where would the fascination be? A great part of the thrill of searching/collecting comes from trying to figure out how NAs lived, how they got here, when did they get here, where did they come from. etc. Even archeologists don't know!

 

[-=METAL=-]

Sometimes we just don't know. Maybe used for something or some purpose, maybe not. I sometimes think it is best for mysteries to remain mysteries. If we figure everything out, well, where would the fascination be? A great part of the thrill of searching/collecting comes from trying to figure out how NAs lived, how they got here, when did they get here, where did they come from. etc. Even archeologists don't know!

Sorry, but I disagree. I much rather know what it is or isn't. I'm plenty fascinated by many things we know and understand. I'm sure there are one or two people on the forum who can tell me definitively. Thanks for the response though.

 

[Charl]

Don't really see any battering wear to a degree that would suggest hammerstone.

Can't really make a call on the quartz. Might be a dentate, might not

 

[-=METAL=-]

Don't really see any battering wear to a degree that would suggest hammerstone.

Can't really make a call on the quartz. Might be a dentate, might not

Hey Charl, yea I wasn't holding much hope out on that one.. More rocks for the backyard!

 

[Jon Stewart]

Agree with charl. No marks from striking other stone of course unless it is an un-used hammer stone! I have found perfectly round rocks the size of baseballs that are just perfectly round rocks.

 

[yakker]

Hey man, I'd never even heard of a dentate stamp until just now, so you (or *I*) definitely learn something every day (whether it actually is one or not!) That first object? Obviously N.A. duckpin ball! Yakker

 

[sandchip]

A toothy piece of quartz, for sure but I wouldn't read a whole lot into what is probably just an incidental rock. If, by dentate stamp, you mean something for marking pottery, I imagine that wood would be the material of choice. Hey, I'd give 'em both a second look!

 

[-=METAL=-]

Hey guys. I'll include a picture from my book to show why I thought it might be that. Definitely some similarities here but who knows.

 

[Charl]

From Keith Wilbur's The New England Indians, and a small sandstone pebble dentate stamp. Looking at the quahog in the first illustration, a friend found one with dentate notches along the whole length, best dentate I've ever seen......

 

[-=METAL=-]

Nice dentate stamp, I see what you're saying. Without ever having seen some of the artifacts that you're posting, you could see how someone like myself could make these associations. I'm learning, and it looks like I need to pick up another book haha.

 

[RGINN]

What led you to believe the round rock might be a tool? Well if not a hammerstone, you could heat it up (if it doesn't explode) and use it to boil water. Cool about dentate stamps. The area I'm from apparently didn't use those, so I've never found one, but interesting to learn about.

 

[-=METAL=-]

What led you to believe the round rock might be a tool? Well if not a hammerstone, you could heat it up (if it doesn't explode) and use it to boil water. Cool about dentate stamps. The area I'm from apparently didn't use those, so I've never found one, but interesting to learn about.

That one I honestly didn't think it was anything, but I figured I'd just take it home and ask, because I have been surprised before. Better to take a rock home than to leave an artifact in the field is how I look at it. So to answer your question, it was the roundness of it, the one smooth side, and the one rough side basically. I didn't really think it looked worked, but wanted to make sure.

 

[rock]

Might be a geode. If your sure it isn't a artifact break it open might be some gem crystals inside.