Highly Polished Hammerstone?

[Dave in WI]

Any ideas on material? Black diorite? Slate? I have never seen water bead off a rock like it does this. It doesn't appear that it was hafted, as the majority of the use marks are on the corners as it would when held in hand. Bit end is not tapered like a celt. Found near a tributary of the Milwaukee River in SE WI.

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[Dave in WI]

Sorry about the size. First time posting a picture. About what kb is right? Do I crop to get it the right size?

 

[*Molly*]

Hi Dave, Welcome. That's a fine stone, unusual shape too.

I crop & resize, you can test your pics on the Test Forum..

Molly.

 

[Felinepeachy]

Here ya go.

 

[MEinWV]

A nice, unusual piece! I like it!

I am not sure that is the actual color of the stone itself. I have found items along the river that have that same patina. I am pecking a war club head right now that has a dark patina from being on the riverbank and the real color of the stone is light gray in color. Mine looks like a fine grained granitiferous material. I am having a heck of a time pecking it. It is very hard stuff.

HH..............&.............Welcome!

 

[MarkDz]

I'm pretty new to this hobby, but would guess that might be a regular rock that was polished by water. River rocks can come in many peculiar shapes and sizes and I've often lugged 'em home thinking they were artifacts. It's very hard to tell sometimes and they look cool either way!

 

[Dave in WI]

This was a field find, approx. 50 yards from the creek. I have no doubt it could have been polished from the water, and also shaped naturally. However, there is no question from the use marks that it was employed as a tool.

 

[Cannonman17]

I believe it's natural.

 

[unitas]

My first thought is natural as well. Nifty rock either way.

 

[Rege-PA]

Shape looks to be natural...but was definitely used as a hammer stone, upper section looks to have a fine polish where it was held, another example of utilizing a handy rock.

 

[Cannonman17]

Shape looks to be natural...but was definitely used as a hammer stone, upper section looks to have a fine polish where it was held, another example of utilizing a handy rock.

Rocks don't get polished from holding them!!
I don't believe that is fine polish, see how the entire rock is just about uniform? Use wear polish only occurs on the parts most heavily used, really only on the bit surface. Now the Natives polished stuff intentionally also and that type of polish can occur all over an artifact but it will still nearly always leave traces of the manufacturing process. Like the bottom two celts on this page, clearly used, have use-wear polish and the signs of manufacture are still clearly present. The rock in question on top however is not "certainly" or "obviously" or "definitely" anything other than an ordinary rock. It's an odd shaped water polished rock, and water polished rocks can be found more places than people would believe, because a creek or river is a hundred yards away today doesn't really tell us anything about what the surface was like say 250,000 or 750,000 years ago. The pock marks are most likely also natural. Just as nature and water can polish they can also send other rocks rolling down a stream in high flow times, crashing over and over into each other.

For what it's worth I will say that it could have been used to hammer something- any rock could have been used. I often times pick up a block of wood or a rock if it's handy to pound in tent stakes, does it make that rock an artifact? I suppose it does to a certain point. Perhaps it's more a question of what a person wants to collect than anything. If you don't mind filling your yard and garage and house with every rock from a field because it might have been used then have at it I suppose.

 

[Rege-PA]

I believe that the rock was not shaped by man, however the peck marks on the larger end are definitely from use as a possible hammer. If these were done by nature such as rolling in a stream they would be more random and not concentrated in one area. By fine polish the upper section looks to be a little darker where it would have been held, which could be a result of extended use. Perhaps more magnification would yield more answers. We often find rocks with varying degrees of use on indian sites, some are great examples of their purpose others marginal, it is up to the finder to keep or discard.

 

[Jonnyreb]

Just my two cents here is all. With stones like that, it mainly depends on the context in which it was found. Yours was found in a feild away from the water, so in my opinion, yes, it was used as a hammer stone. Whether held in the hand or not, I dont know. I find lots of river rocks that were picked up and used as pecking tools, but some because of battering on the ends, and oval shape, I cant help but wonder if they may have been hafted, or at least tied on a handle. this would not produce any sign on the stone itself, just odd battering on the ends. I'd keep it for sure. I've got a pretty good up and coming rock garden here full of hammerstones and mettates. Just dont have room for em here in the house...

 

[Dave in WI]

Thanks for all comments.

 

[MarkDz]

Here's the weirdest rock I've found near a river. It wants to be an artifact but I think it's just a crazy coincidence.