Perfectly round white stone (native american?)

[caspider10]

Hello all, first post here. I read the "please read before posting" thread, so I'll try to make sure I've got it all

This stone was found about 20 years ago when digging around in my great-grandmother's backyard in Manila, Arkansas. She was 1/2 Comanche Indian, so I know there were some tribes in the area. I meant to take the picture with a quarter or nickel for reference, but I forgot, please excuse this.

I hope the photos are clear enough, it's about the best I can do with my current camera. Size of the stone is approximately 1.5", and like i said, it is almost perfectly round. It was not found near any rivers or streams, and I have never found anything quite like this in the area. There doesn't seem to be any markings except for a few small nicks that look like it hit another rock or struck something sharp (you can see these in the photos). I'm not quite sure what kind of stone this is (limestone perhaps??).

Here's what I'm hoping to find out (in increasing order of hopefulness!):
~ What kind of rock this is
~ Is it man-made, or natural
~ If it is man-made, what was it used for, or what could it be

ANY help would be appreciated, even if it is just a reference to another site that might be more specific/helpful!

Thanks!!

EDIT: diameter is roughly 38mm.



another recent find: this time near matheson colorado:

 

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[taz42o]

Something like that found around my area would be a mill ball used to grind clay at one of the many potteries that were around here.

 

[caspider10]

Finally figured out the picture thing

Does this look about right taz42o? I don't remember any mention of potteries in the area around Manila, Arkansas.

 

[DigIron2]

hard to imagine it would be nature made, being a almost perfect sphere.I am not the one to help you,But I know allot of nice Indian artifacts have been found Arkansas.

 

[taz42o]

I dont recall that web like pattern on any mill balls they are generally smooth except for some scratches.
Not sure what you have.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

This might be a possibility it could be the inside of a golf ball this is what that would look like once the insides are exposed they dry out some and get real hard. I chip carve the insides of golf balls that's how I thought how it looked a lot like them, they are all different colors not sure but the dimensions match.This one is speckled blue but I have seen pink, white, even a black one.

 

[JOHUNT]

I think it may be made of Quartzite.
It could be natural or man made.
It may be a cobble used by Native Americans as a blank for tools/projectile points

 

[longcut]

Caspider10.......... I have lots of those ............ We always called them Indian marbles ............. you find them in different colors ....

 

[nhbenz]

It almost looks "too round" to be an Indian game stone, but I hope it turns out to be just that.

 

[Toxophilite]

I believe its an old marble

 

[caspider10]

I dont recall that web like pattern on any mill balls they are generally smooth except for some scratches.
Not sure what you have.

Right, I thought that mill balls were generally smoother and made out of a different material / stone.

This might be a possibility it could be the inside of a golf ball this is what that would look like View attachment 946905 View attachment 946906 once the insides are exposed they dry out some and get real hard. I chip carve the insides of golf balls that's how I thought how it looked a lot like them, they are all different colors not sure but the dimensions match.This one is speckled blue but I have seen pink, white, even a black one.

Good thought! I don't believe it to be the center for a couple of reasons though- it is waaaay too heavy and not perfectly spherical, just unusually spherical

Caspider10.......... I have lots of those ............ We always called them Indian marbles ............. you find them in different colors ....

Do you have any links to pictures? Or can you tell me anything more about them? (I'm googling as I type this as well...)

It almost looks "too round" to be an Indian game stone, but I hope it turns out to be just that.

Can you provide any more information about this?

I believe its an old marble

This is way I'm leaning as of right now.


I found a link on this site to something fairly similar, it's about the same size even:
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/north-american-indian-artifacts/185063-stone-ball.html

 

[longcut]

Caspider10.... I'd say it was not over a month ago , I was detecting along a river here and walked up on 3 white areas in the field .... This white that is mixed in the dirt is the remains of mussel shells where the native Americans ate mussels...........I have seen lots of these places before along our rivers down here ..... Anyway , while I was bumping along , there was a marble just like the one u have ........... put it in my pocket and when I was done , I went by the landowners house and gave the marble to his youngest son ... kid walks and collects arrowheads and such ............... I have 5 grand children and they all have 2 or 3 marbles I have given them ......... they are not that rare down here ............... another landowner I hunt on , gave him 2 one day for his two children ....

 

[caspider10]

Caspider10.... I'd say it was not over a month ago , I was detecting along a river here and walked up on 3 white areas in the field .... This white that is mixed in the dirt is the remains of mussel shells where the native Americans ate mussels...........I have seen lots of these places before along our rivers down here ..... Anyway , while I was bumping along , there was a marble just like the one u have ........... put it in my pocket and when I was done , I went by the landowners house and gave the marble to his youngest son ... kid walks and collects arrowheads and such ............... I have 5 grand children and they all have 2 or 3 marbles I have given them ......... they are not that rare down here ............... another landowner I hunt on , gave him 2 one day for his two children ....

So if they are fairly common, were they used by children for games, would I be right in saying that? And do you think this is what you are describing?

 

[longcut]

I have never done much reading on native American artifacts .... I just stumble up on them in the fields I detect .......... some of the experts on here can tell u a lot more .................. slaves also made marbles to play with , and I would suppose lots of folks did the same , through the generations ............. reason I give them to kids is cause they are clay marbles and very old ............ the native Americans may have used them for a game piece or even to cook with , poverty points, so to speak ..................... That is about it for my limited knowledge ..............

 

[Gold Maven]

I have found quite a few being in the gravel production and bridge building business. I think most are formed by glaciers, rolling along under tons of ice. On our elevated gravel conveyors, there are usually quite a few on the ground at the base of the conveyor, they often roll back down and fall off, instead of traveling up to the stack.

That's not to say that prehistoric man didn't pick them up, carry them back to camp, and use them for something.

Truth is, it's really hard to tell exactly what formed it, or if it was used long ago.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

Good thought! I don't believe it to be the center for a couple of reasons though- it is waaaay too heavy and not perfectly spherical, just unusually spherical
I was wondering on the weight,Yes if it's heavy then my idea is out the window.Still cool item for display.

 

[longcut]

Gold Maven .......... interesting concept on the white stones .............. all the white ones I have ever run across, had a shiny finish almost like porcelain ..........

 

[duffytrash]

I cant tell what it was used for...in hand I could prob make some conclusion..it could be lotsa things...but its kewl and you got a keeper for sure!!

 

[caspider10]

Diameter is roughly 38mm if that helps at all.

 

[gimel19]

I have that kind of round thing, don't know what it is, and don't know the value of it