Perforator..
- Thread starter *Molly*
- Start date
tomclark
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2006
- Messages
- 1,177
- Reaction score
- 1,641
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Tampa Bay, FL
- Detector(s) used
- ShadowX2, TEJON, Eyes, Pony Shovel
- Primary Interest:
- Other
Sure is pretty. Nice rare artifact, IMHOP!
Cannonman17
Bronze Member
I would've been like, no thanks, I'll borrow my wifes bone needle for the tattoo-
stryker-one
Hero Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2007
- Messages
- 552
- Reaction score
- 10
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Independence, Oregon
- Detector(s) used
- Scorpion Gold Stinger and Tesoro Silver
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
Molly,
What leads you to believe the perforator was used for tattooing? Nice item--I like the material.
Stryker
What leads you to believe the perforator was used for tattooing? Nice item--I like the material.
Stryker
Bridge End Farm
Gold Member
Cannonman17 said:
I agree, excellent discovery and ty for sharing it
Cannonman17
Bronze Member
Molly- You find much jasper in your neck of the woods? I don't get any at all this far north but always found it to be an attractive material. That was until I had a friend of mine get me a few pieces from "back home" for me to try out for knapping... now I hate it! LOL! That stuff is IMO hard to work, I got a whole new appreciation for the ancient knappers of that stuff!
On this particular piece I have to throw my two cents worth in- only an opinion but: I don't think it would/could have been used for tattooing. I say that because there are really only two primary methods for that type of body.... modification or mutilation and this particular artifact doesn't look as though it would have served the purpose well in either. One method is the one we are most familiar with today, the needle. A needle is dipped in the would be "ink" (there were a lot of natural dyes but perhaps walnut husks
) and then pushed by a quick tap with a paddle into the skin, as it was removed the puncture hole acts as a suction drawing the "ink" into the hole, repeated motions making the line or design. This piece you have there doesn't look like it comes to a sharp enough point to create this, could it puncture the skin? Sure.. but it's not needle point enough IMO to get the desired results, the scarring from using this type of piece would've been more evident than the tattoo. The second way is to actually cut the skin with a sharp edge and then rub the would be ink into the wound, as it heals, and if the wound is shallow enough, the scar is gone and the ink remains. Now the piece in question, if pressed into the skin hard enough would without doubt be sharp enough to cut but it would take a fair amount of pressure (and consequently pain) to do so. I think if they had the inclination to tattoo in this cutting method they would've almost immediately found a sharp flake to serve the purpose better because they would've been much sharper. Some scientists with more tools at their disposal than I will ever see again have looked intently at the edges of such flakes and found them in some cases (obsidian in particular) to be sharper than that of a modern day scalpel. I have knapped a bunch of different flints from all over the country over the past few years *haven't tried yours yet pickaway but I will soon!* and found that not only obsidian, but most flints, produce razor like edges. Okay, I'm starting to digress now... so IMO it wasn't used for tattooing, but what might have it been used for then? Well... I would guess as a perforator, of skin, like hides. Considering that they had to make all of their own clothes from scratch I would expect that we would find a fairly good grouping of manufacturing tools related to just that- but in the archaeological record they don't seem to be as prevalent as they should be.. some yes, but not in the numbers you would expect to find a tool from everyday use. I think it's because many such tools (tattooing equipment also) were probably made from bone. I believe that a piece like this would have been more likely "drilling" or "punching" a hole through some thick leather more so than piercing the relatively thin skin of a human. I'm not saying that's it and that's that... I mean a stone piece like that would have the strength to bore through wood or bone... could have been used in a number of ways to make or drill holes through things, specially if it was hafted and used with a bow. It does look like it has served more than one purpose through it's life time though. That by itself seems to tell a story of sorts. The base appears to be identical to that of an Adena type point or blade.. (( put on your boots, this is where I use my imagination))
Raw materials to make any stone tools were scattered all over the united states, that doesn't mean that you would have been close to one at any given time though.. at least not by yesterday's standards. So I'll put this hypothetical situation into play: You are part of a semi nomadic early woodland culture. You have just begun to understand agriculture as we know it today, likewise, a number of inventions are relatively new to the people of the day including ceramics and even the bow and arrow. These, amongst other things have allowed your extended family group to lead a more sedentary life style. Keep in mind these above mentioned things are new and have not been fully developed though... you as a people have found that wild thickets of certain berries, nuts, and herbs can actually be cultivated but have not mastered the art yet and still find it easier to spread out in times of hardship in order to improve ones chances of survival (the fewer people per sq. mile the better if you're living off the land) So... you and your immediately family move ten miles farther up the river from your summer village site to spend the winter, you have some dried fruits and meats and maybe even some squash or corn that will make the winter that much easier but you still rely on the hunter/gatherer to some degree. On this particular year 877B.C., you have nearly run out of stored food and the hunting has been less than spectacular... likewise other materials may have been running out, including the few stone blanks or bi faces that you brought with you months ago from the summer camp. The quarry for the jasper is a good twenty five miles down stream from the summer camp and making that journey now could be disaster so rather than take chances you just try to make ends meet.. late winter/early spring rolls around and the wife is complaining that her antler needle set has gotten wet in the spring snow melt... she needs some raw materials now if you expect to have a decent breech cloth for the spring festival! Okay okay you say, here, I broke this point off last moon when I got the deer down in the marsh, can you use it? "That will do!" and with a few small applied strokes from the tine of the same deer the point was used to hunt/kill with in the first place she created a tool well suited for her intentions. Broken Adena point turned into a punch, drill, perforator, or whatever you want to call it- The first evidence of recycling in the Americas is what I see.
On this particular piece I have to throw my two cents worth in- only an opinion but: I don't think it would/could have been used for tattooing. I say that because there are really only two primary methods for that type of body.... modification or mutilation and this particular artifact doesn't look as though it would have served the purpose well in either. One method is the one we are most familiar with today, the needle. A needle is dipped in the would be "ink" (there were a lot of natural dyes but perhaps walnut husks
) and then pushed by a quick tap with a paddle into the skin, as it was removed the puncture hole acts as a suction drawing the "ink" into the hole, repeated motions making the line or design. This piece you have there doesn't look like it comes to a sharp enough point to create this, could it puncture the skin? Sure.. but it's not needle point enough IMO to get the desired results, the scarring from using this type of piece would've been more evident than the tattoo. The second way is to actually cut the skin with a sharp edge and then rub the would be ink into the wound, as it heals, and if the wound is shallow enough, the scar is gone and the ink remains. Now the piece in question, if pressed into the skin hard enough would without doubt be sharp enough to cut but it would take a fair amount of pressure (and consequently pain) to do so. I think if they had the inclination to tattoo in this cutting method they would've almost immediately found a sharp flake to serve the purpose better because they would've been much sharper. Some scientists with more tools at their disposal than I will ever see again have looked intently at the edges of such flakes and found them in some cases (obsidian in particular) to be sharper than that of a modern day scalpel. I have knapped a bunch of different flints from all over the country over the past few years *haven't tried yours yet pickaway but I will soon!* and found that not only obsidian, but most flints, produce razor like edges. Okay, I'm starting to digress now... so IMO it wasn't used for tattooing, but what might have it been used for then? Well... I would guess as a perforator, of skin, like hides. Considering that they had to make all of their own clothes from scratch I would expect that we would find a fairly good grouping of manufacturing tools related to just that- but in the archaeological record they don't seem to be as prevalent as they should be.. some yes, but not in the numbers you would expect to find a tool from everyday use. I think it's because many such tools (tattooing equipment also) were probably made from bone. I believe that a piece like this would have been more likely "drilling" or "punching" a hole through some thick leather more so than piercing the relatively thin skin of a human. I'm not saying that's it and that's that... I mean a stone piece like that would have the strength to bore through wood or bone... could have been used in a number of ways to make or drill holes through things, specially if it was hafted and used with a bow. It does look like it has served more than one purpose through it's life time though. That by itself seems to tell a story of sorts. The base appears to be identical to that of an Adena type point or blade.. (( put on your boots, this is where I use my imagination))Raw materials to make any stone tools were scattered all over the united states, that doesn't mean that you would have been close to one at any given time though.. at least not by yesterday's standards. So I'll put this hypothetical situation into play: You are part of a semi nomadic early woodland culture. You have just begun to understand agriculture as we know it today, likewise, a number of inventions are relatively new to the people of the day including ceramics and even the bow and arrow. These, amongst other things have allowed your extended family group to lead a more sedentary life style. Keep in mind these above mentioned things are new and have not been fully developed though... you as a people have found that wild thickets of certain berries, nuts, and herbs can actually be cultivated but have not mastered the art yet and still find it easier to spread out in times of hardship in order to improve ones chances of survival (the fewer people per sq. mile the better if you're living off the land) So... you and your immediately family move ten miles farther up the river from your summer village site to spend the winter, you have some dried fruits and meats and maybe even some squash or corn that will make the winter that much easier but you still rely on the hunter/gatherer to some degree. On this particular year 877B.C., you have nearly run out of stored food and the hunting has been less than spectacular... likewise other materials may have been running out, including the few stone blanks or bi faces that you brought with you months ago from the summer camp. The quarry for the jasper is a good twenty five miles down stream from the summer camp and making that journey now could be disaster so rather than take chances you just try to make ends meet.. late winter/early spring rolls around and the wife is complaining that her antler needle set has gotten wet in the spring snow melt... she needs some raw materials now if you expect to have a decent breech cloth for the spring festival! Okay okay you say, here, I broke this point off last moon when I got the deer down in the marsh, can you use it? "That will do!" and with a few small applied strokes from the tine of the same deer the point was used to hunt/kill with in the first place she created a tool well suited for her intentions. Broken Adena point turned into a punch, drill, perforator, or whatever you want to call it- The first evidence of recycling in the Americas is what I see.
*Molly*
Silver Member
- #9
Thread Owner
There is Jasper in my area but I never find any, that Perforator isn't from the East its from the West. I see your point, very well put. Its good that you put your views forward for new collectors to read, every peice of information helps, Thanks. Also I saw that large blade, I think you knapped it, very impressive, fake or not I liked it..
Molly.
Molly.
Top Member Reactions
-
2563 -
1717 -
1545 -
1296 -
1183 -
1114 -
1034 -
813 -
803 -
680 -
604 -
584 -
519 -
519 -
516
