✅ SOLVED This ones a puzzle...found this piece, its carved from rock..........

[curious kat]

This one's a puzzle...found this piece, it's carved from rock..........

....it must have been fairly large, like some kind of bowl thing and has this (these ?) knobs on the outside...anyone know what it might have been used for? .....thanks..

 

[The Grim Reaper]

It may be part of a Metate.

 

[monsterrack]

I agree with Reaper, that's what I would think. Nice find

 

[rock]

Thinking out of the box but it looks like a lid top

 

[theviking]

Interesting find. Kinda looks like a small soapstone bowl with one of the two lugs, or handles. I may be way off, do they even have soapstone in New Mexico? Thanks for the view.

 

[Tnmountains]

Can you imagine that whole? Wow. I have seen stone bowls but never found one.

 

[curious kat]

...yes, first thought was "Metate" with handles? But all the other ones we have don't have the "knob" thing, so thought it might be something different? What about some kind of bowl that would be "hung" by maybe 3 or 4 of those knobs? A "lid" rock...who knows right...although that knob is on the "side" not the top, maybe it's hard to tell by the pictures? Don't know about soapstone here theviking, will have to check on that. Yes...Tn..would like to have seen it when it was whole, whatever it is/was. I do wonder if they did do some kind of "hanging" rock bowl things? Thank you everyone!

 

[Charl]

kat, my first thought was the same as Viking; it looked like a lug end of a soapstone vessel. I can't tell from the photo if that is soapstone, but like the name implies, it will feel like a bar of soap, a somewhat greasy feel to it, usually not coarse or sandy feeling, but slick. Metates can be just a slab with a hollow worn in or they can be well fashioned. Like yourself, I have never seen one with lugs, but I don't know your stomping grounds. My first thought was what it looked like if it were found here. Here's a photo of 3 from RI, with close up of small one with lugs. Lugs came in different shapes. Of course your piece could be a shallow bowl of a different material too. Sandstone for instance. The third photo makes it look pretty shallow whatever it was.

 

[Charl]

Here's what happens to soapstone that sits in salt water for ages, the iron impurities rot out. Burned on bottom, a cooking utensil...

 

[curious kat]

Thanks for the pictures & help Charl.....it does not feel course like sandstone, more like what I guess soapstone would feel like from what you say, a bit "chalky" smooth. Well, I think maybe you "solved" this one to....a soapstone bowl! Wonder if they give points for "solving" on T-net?....you got 2 from me! lol So thank you again