Mano stone..

[digi-shots]

I believe this to be a Mano stone. Mano stones were mainly used to grind food. This one fits in your hand and is round at the top and very smooth and flat on the bottom.

In the photos you can see where the bottom goes from rounded to flat and see a ridge that circles the bottom of the stone.

 

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[unclemac]

the patina is unusually even and the bottom is not very smooth.

 

[antmike915]

Was it found where obvious artifacts were found? Looks to have some plow damage.

 

[MAMucker]

the patina is unusually even and the bottom is not very smooth.

That’s a good point (regarding the patina). But, staining can have quite an effect on a stone.
It does seem to have a well ground flat patch on one side.
I think the question was asked about provenance or context. Can you (digi) proved a little back info on the site?
I have a hand-sized stone that I’ve called a grinding stone for some time now. Maybe it’s another name for MANO.
I’ll add it to this post tonight for comparison.

 

[MAMucker]

That’s a good point (regarding the patina). But, staining can have quite an effect on a stone.
It does seem to have a well ground flat patch on one side.
I think the question was asked about provenance or context. Can you (digi) proved a little back info on the site?
I have a hand-sized stone that I’ve called a grinding stone for some time now. Maybe it’s another name for MANO.
I’ll add it to this post tonight for comparison.

The grinding stone below was found in CT

 

[unclemac]

oh no!!! do I see thumb grooves!!!

 

[MAMucker]

oh no!!! do I see thumb grooves!!!

Ha ha!
Kidding aside, the stone is somewhat faceted by grinding on all edges.
To describe it, it’s kind of wheel shaped. There may not be thumb groves, but there is polish on the axil points where it was firmly held throughout the time it was used -maybe years.

 

[digi-shots]

The stone was found on private property - other items included a few points, pieces of pottery and a few hammer stones.. A friend of mine found a gorget at the same location along with a half a dozen points or so.