Small metate

[Adena_man]

I found this metate 3 years ago in Jessamine Co, KY. I have yet to find anything else made of the purple material at this location. As you can tell, the middle is very smooth from use. It is small for a metate, measuring about 12" X 12". Could have been used for busting up nuts maybe?

Thanks for looking.

 

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[ohio]

Really neat find!

 

[Keokukjeff]

Nice artifact..............
I would say it was used to grind up Red Ochre................which had been heat-treated making it turn purple from pecked and crushed Ochre being process in it
If you look at the Metate with a 10x pecking makes my be seen in smooth area............
The purple color is on the Metate ..............the Metate is of a different color stone on bottom right?
Ochre is like chalk it could be packed on the Metate 1 inch deep.............

 

[Keokukjeff]

If you whole Metate is same color all the way thru,it might be heat-treated Red Ochre and the Metate was formed of it..................ether way nice artifact..................
Here is a piece of Red Ochre,it was slightly purple on the back side............messy like wet chalk.
I find it often at sites and is a artifact after intentional heat-treating
Red Ochre is due to Limonite in are rocks..............it can turn,purple yellow and red when heat-treated.