Take a look-see, Indian Game Ball?

[smokeythecat]

We dug this over the weekend, its posted on another thread, it appears the colonists tossed it on top of their trash pit. The site has produced a lot of native artifacts, this is only my second item from the site and it's very well known. It is about 72 mm in diameter and the beveling is quite pronounced.

It is made of quartz, and I'm not seeing peck marks on it. Thanks.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[sawmill man]

Are you sure its not been colonial used ? my grandmother and relatives were Appalachian poor. and made alot of funny looking stone tools themselves , such as pestles and some nice hand axes for chicken head removal. but yours could be a game ball.

 

[smokeythecat]

I don't know. I did find a whetstone in the pit, perfectly rectangular but made of different material. Maybe a 17th century UFO effigy?

 

[arrow86]

Odd looking for sure I definitely would have brought it home too

 

[smokeythecat]

It's cool whatever it is.

 

[The Grim Reaper]

That is a Hammerstone and I believe they were used to peck the grooves in Axes. I have several just like that one that are pecked to that point all the way around the center and they fit right in a groove on my Axes. Just my thoughts and not conclusive.

 

[smokeythecat]

Grim reaper, I hadn't thought of a hammerstone that could be put on a shaft. You may have nailed it. Since it was on top of the colonists trash, they must have found it, then discarded it. One man's trash is another's treasure.

Once upon a time ago I found my first grooved ax. It looked kind of funny to me however. I took it to our archaeology club and the club president had a cow over it. It apparently started out like as a full groove ax, it broke and was discarded. A thousand or more years later another native American found it and made a 3/4 groove ax out of it.

Now just a tad bit later in time, I still have it.

 

[sawmill man]

You did get the whetstone didint you smokey?

 

[justonemore]

Definitely worked and ground down. Cool find whatever it is.

 

[Hawks88]

Nice save. Congrats

 

[Jon Stewart]

I don't know about hammerstone. We like them a little bigger.They get beat up pretty good and that rock is pretty smooth. The second photo show grinding wear on the right. Looks like they used it until it come apart in the center?

 

[smokeythecat]

It is not broken. That is one tough piece of solid quartz. There is an iron stain on it from the nails and hoe that were in the hole.

Whetstone:

 

[monsterrack]

I like the idea of a hammer stone but most of them show a lot of peck marks from striking the stone. Let me throw this in there a chunky stone made like the one in this photo. It just doesn't have the cup but the sides are about right.

 

[Fred250]

Did you try this?

 

[smokeythecat]

Fred250, no but I'm going to have to now!