Salt Water AtlAtl Weight Preform up for consideration

[MAMucker]

I didn’t get a picture of it in the shoreline gravels. But it’s general shape caught my attention, so I picked it up. It looks pecked to shape and drilling was started. There’s nice banding (Seen well when wet).

 

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[welsbury]

Sure looks like the start of one.Great find.

 

[Charl]

Looks like it to my eyes, as well.

 

[Twitch]

Not at all what I expected to see. Looks good here. Nice find.

 

[Buckleberry]

Fantastic find, no doubt IMO that is what it is!
I really like finding hardstone artifacts that are in an early phase of construction, so much to learn from them.
I have a few few celts like that.

 

[Jeff H]

Nice one there Mucker! Very cool find.

 

[MAMucker]

Looks like it to my eyes, as well.

Thanks Charlie,
Do you have any thoughts regarding the material?

 

[southfork]

Nice find one for the artifact cabinet .

 

[smokeythecat]

Yes, I think you're right.

 

[MAMucker]

Fantastic find, no doubt IMO that is what it is!
I really like finding hardstone artifacts that are in an early phase of construction, so much to learn from them.
I have a few few celts like that.

I agree. The stages of manufacture are illustrated so well in incomplete forms. I wonder why this one wasn’t finished? We can never know.

I’d love to see some of your unfinished celts.

 

[antmike915]

Agree with all the above, nice find MA.

 

[sandchip]

Very cool. Stick drilled?

 

[Buckleberry]

I agree. The stages of manufacture are illustrated so well in incomplete forms. I wonder why this one wasn’t finished? We can never know.

I’d love to see some of your unfinished celts.

Sure, I threw a few pics of it into this thread ( I have better pics, but this is what I could find in a short time), which has some other great member artifacts in various stages of completion as well.
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/n.../631631-hardstone-peck-marks.html#post6484370

You might want to add yours to it as well.

 

[Charl]

Thanks Charlie,
Do you have any thoughts regarding the material?

No, I don’t, but ground and polished, it would be attractive, I’m sure. We can usually only guess when something is left unfinished. Here’s one from RI, with the column still showing....

 

[MAMucker]

Very cool. Stick drilled?

That’s a very good question. I’m going to dig into the history and try to find out

I have attached a link to a copy of the April 1988, A Bulletin of the M.A.S, which has photos of a few examples of a similar Barrel Shaped type AtlAtl Weight from The Hathaway Site. Notice that each in the small sample given has a flat side.

https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1147&context=bmas

 

[MAMucker]

No, I don’t, but ground and polished, it would be attractive, I’m sure. We can usually only guess when something is left unfinished. Here’s one from RI, with the column still showing....

View attachment 1853242

Charlie, that’s a fine example! Size is consistent with the one I posted. The shape is somewhat different. More Bar-Shaped.

So that one was Reed-Drilled?

 

[Charl]

That’s a very good question. I’m going to dig into the history and try to find out

I have attached a link to a copy of the April 1988, A Bulletin of the M.A.S, which has photos of a few examples of a similar Barrel Shaped type AtlAtl Weight from The Hathaway Site. Notice that each in the small sample given has a flat side.

https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1147&context=bmas

A friend of mine found a finished example which had the same form as yours, and it was fluted on the flat side.

 

[Charl]

Charlie, that’s a fine example! Size is consistent with the one I posted. The shape is somewhat different. More Bar-Shaped.

So that one was Reed-Drilled?

Yes, I believe so. I don’t know much about this class of artifact, never found any. I did find two tie-on atlatl weights at an Early Archaic site we walked for years.