mortar?

[captain redbeard]

Found this in one of my fields today. It stuck out mainly because the wearing doesn't look normal, nor does it look like a normal break. I tried getting as many angles as I could. There are obvious tractor marks, but there appears to be a few divots or grooves and holding it in my hand feels really natural. I may be reaching because its my first time out in a while , but it looks like a mortar to me. Thoughts?

 

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[monsterrack]

That is a different looking artifact, from what I see it does show that it was used in some manner

 

[captain redbeard]

yea my first impressions were either some kind of mortar or sanding/grinding tool because of its gritty texture. The divots certainly look man made.

 

[rock]

Tough call for me to say. They did use that type of stone for grinding and it is a gritty type. Can you think on how the grit would get into the food they ate? Must of been hard on the teeth. Could of been a multi tool to if it was used.

 

[captain redbeard]

yea that is true rock, just trying to think of what they would grind in that shape. Would have been not very wide and somewhat rounded, but there is deff a defined wearing.

 

[monsterrack]

Tough call for me to say. They did use that type of stone for grinding and it is a gritty type. Can you think on how the grit would get into the food they ate? Must of been hard on the teeth. Could of been a multi tool to if it was used.

Almost every NA that I have seen unearthed the teeth are worn down flat from eating hard fiber food and grit in their food.

 

[Jon Stewart]

Almost looks like a shaft straightener on the back of the bowl.

 

[captain redbeard]

it feels kind of like a grip, when I hold it my pinky and ring fingers set right in it nicely.

 

[captain redbeard]

taking another look, I see what you are saying jon Stewart with the arrow straightener and perhaps those grooves are sharpeners on the bottom. I thought perhaps those were just tractor marks, but looking at them more closely leads me to think rock may be right about it being a mutli tool of some sort as with monster and it being a gritty mortar. Was hoping for someone with a definitive answer haha, but if the general consensus is that it is indeed manmade I'm happy with that. I did find a handful of flint nearby and am certain its native american and perhaps a multi tool and judging from my finds in these fields most likely archaic period. Thanks for the responses guys I appreciate it.

 

[catherine1]

The x on the back looks like plow marks. The rest of it looks like a rock

 

[Mark Todd]

Sorry but I'm not seeing
anything that looks man made. Looks like natural fracture scar and shape to me. Nor does it look like a very grainy stone to me in the pics.
However I definitely concur with "monsterack"; that documented tooth wear in burial contexts are profound. By mld-to-late 30's most most N.A. Indians teeth were ground down to a severe state,at least in all of the burial site reports I've read.

 

[captain redbeard]

It is certainly a very grainy stone, it has a sandlike texture. I took certain pics with light hitting it from the side to show the depth and shape of the divots and wearing in the center. There is no way a tractor would put divots or give it the shape it has. As I said there are plow marks on it, wear and tear from a field being plowed for 80 years is a given. I honestly don't see how a rock this grainy would fracture like that, especially where the divots are that fit perfectly in my hand. I have no doubt it was used by human hands, just trying to figure out what it was used for. I'll take some more pics outside shortly for some clearer views.

 

[Flea-bit Monkey]

That is so cool!!!