My first post, and my first effigy

[Original_Chalice]

I found this effigy in a load of gravel that had just been dumped, the only thing I can tell about it is that it is a very well carved human. Was found in Spartanburg, South Carolina, but the rock could have came from many places in the south east.

 

[wvwildman]

nice find congrats

 

[Original_Chalice]

Thank you. Any idea on where it came from?

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Probably a tourist item from Mexico. That would be my guess as to why a Meso American item was found in SC.

 

[Original_Chalice]

Ah, well bummer, makes sense I guess, I just got my hopes up because I saw it get poured out of the ballast car onto the track. Thank you.

 

[newnan man]

Well it does seem to have a little patina on it. I'm intrigued by this find. I have a pipe from Tenn. that is authentic and seems to be made from the same soft rock. Also as far as Meso American goes the Adena Man effigy pipe has the same look. Most of the Mexican junk is clay. There is a small chance it is authentic but I wouldn't chuck it in the driveway just yet. ADENA MAN EFFIGY PIPE | Ohio Historical Society Archaeology Blog

 

[Original_Chalice]

Wow. Thank you, I will definitely look more into it instead of just keeping it on the shelf. That's very interesting, I will keep posted on what I find out about its authenticity and maybe on where it actually came from.

 

[monsterrack]

I would keep it because you found it, real or not it is a find If it is a Mexican knockoff a strong mag. glass you should be able to see tool marks if it is stone.

 

[Original_Chalice]

I'll have to check it out when I get home, but it did survive a train ride in a car full of gravel, and probably blasting depending on where it came from, so it has some scuffs and scratches. What kind of marks would an authentic piece have?

 

[Charl]

Probably a tourist item from Mexico. That would be my guess as to why a Meso American item was found in SC.

Yep! Not old. Pretty darn cool find, though!

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Well it does seem to have a little patina on it. I'm intrigued by this find. I have a pipe from Tenn. that is authentic and seems to be made from the same soft rock. Also as far as Meso American goes the Adena Man effigy pipe has the same look. Most of the Mexican junk is clay. There is a small chance it is authentic but I wouldn't chuck it in the driveway just yet. ADENA MAN EFFIGY PIPE | Ohio Historical Society Archaeology Blog

The Adena Pipe is made from Ohio Pipestone and that piece above is not Pipestone. I have been to Cancun and Cozumel and items like that are in every shop you go in to. It is a cool find, but I highly doubt it's anything more than a tourist item.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

Probably a tourist item from Mexico. That would be my guess as to why a Meso American item was found in SC.

could be a Hopewell-adena complex piece?

oh...magnified the piece..i agree...tourist item...how did it get in gravel?

 

[Hippy]

could be a Hopewell-adena complex piece?

Adena - Hopewell Artifacts | Children of the Sun

beautiful piece...congratulations...

Grim is correct and it's likely a south of the border tourist item. It's absolutely NOT Adena or Hopewell related. The material is wrong, artistic effect is incorrect, manufacturing techniques are not correct for something Adena or Hopewell related. Furthermore, it's not found in an area where you would find such an item related to Adena or Hopewell.

It's a neat find and definitely something to keep on the shelf for what it is. However, it's likely not a prehistoric artifact from the area, but rather a tourist item that someone lost.

Hippy

 

[unclemac]

Grim is correct and it's likely a south of the border tourist item. It's absolutely NOT Adena or Hopewell related. The material is wrong, artistic effect is incorrect, manufacturing techniques are not correct for something Adena or Hopewell related. Furthermore, it's not found in an area where you would find such an item related to Adena or Hopewell.

It's a neat find and definitely something to keep on the shelf for what it is. However, it's likely not a prehistoric artifact from the area, but rather a tourist item that someone lost.

Hippy

or what the heck...something that someone "planted"....those "geocache-ers" are starting to bug me....they even have a place at one of my spots!

 

[newnan man]

Meso American artifacts. They look like fakes too, but are not. That's what fakes are for, to look like the real thing.Cheap repos like the ones in tourist traps are easy to discount. I only referenced Adena Man for the way it looks, not the material it is made from. No one can look at Adena Man and not see the similar features of Meso stuff. I would agree that this find has a 99.9% chance being fake, but with only a computer pic to go on and no idea where the heck it originated, I would keep it. Its fun to find things like that and the mystery involved.

 

[Original_Chalice]

Over the years I've taken this piece off of the mantle and inspected it from time to time. I have returned to college to get a degree and have inquired about it to several anthropologists and art historians, but nothing fruitful. One did mention that people from Mesoamerica copied the Mezcalis' "Axe Gods" and made their own modifications to the design.

Under blacklight there is a definite trace of some sort of paint or ochre.

I still don't have any good leads on what it is for sure. I have seen the tourist objects in person, and they are not matches to what this is.

No matter what it is, it is still my favorite find!

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Way to revive a 9 year old post! ballast rock generally comes from
rock quarries..the rock is ripped and blasted by heavy equipment, screened, crushed, screened, mixed, stockpiled, loaded, transported, placed…nowhere in that process would there typically be an opportunity for native soils to find their way into the processed materials.
It was there none the less.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Way to revive a 9 year old post! ballast rock generally comes from
rock quarries..the rock is ripped and blasted by heavy equipment, screened, crushed, screened, mixed, stockpiled, loaded, transported, placed…nowhere in that process would there typically be an opportunity for native soils to find their way into the processed materials.
It was there none the less.

He is the original poster of this thread so nothing wrong with him reviving the thread. I have found 3 inch needle-sharp arrowheads in gravel rock dumps

 

[Tesorodeoro]

He is the original poster of this thread so nothing wrong with him reviving the thread. I have found 3 inch needle-sharp arrowheads in gravel rock dumps

Never intended to make it negative. Maybe I should have added “hell ya” so it was more apparent.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Never intended to make it negative. Maybe I should have added “hell ya” so it was more apparent.

Yes, it came over as being pretty negative.... All is good.