Uh-huhs, Oh reallys, and sure-ya-dids...

[keepsake]

Uh-huh's, Oh really's, and sure-ya-did's...

Uh-huh

The first item appears to be a knapper or small hammer stone- fits real nice in the hand. My question is: Why is it so beat up around the middle? Some areas look like the marks are almost parallel and when I originally picked it up I thought that maybe it went for a ride in the combine. There are some modern scratch marks on it that don't look anything like the pock marked center. Was it intentionally made rough in order to hold onto it better? Or just unfinished? Or is it something else- a weight for a net? Or just glacial till?

Oh really?

The second thing looks like something- right? A section of a gorget, pendant, or bar? The material is extremely soft and I can scratch it with my fingernail. It almost looks like a modern sharpening stone with the sparkly minerals but seems way too soft. Does anyone know what this material may be? Or agree with me here?

Sure-ya-did

So- do you see the point? I'm not sure how quarzt is worked into a point. I'm sure it fractures differently than, say, flint. Is this a quartz point that was started and lost or discarded in the early stages of manufacture- or is it just broke funny? It seems there may be some tooling going on. I have one quartz point and am not real familiar with the material but I think I see similar marks on that.

 

[GatorBoy]

Sorry all look like natural rocks.
The first one is a natural concretion the second one is a piece of a larger flatish stone possibly a whetstone for a knife.. the third is a broken quartz Coble..a river rock. A piece of worked quartz will not have the exterior rind left on it. Especially not a projectile point. here's a few quartz ones with some rayholite. The quartz are the lighter colored ones.



Here is some broken river rock

 

[The Grim Reaper]

All I see is natural stones. Sorry.

 

[keepsake]

Thanks Gatorboy- I figured the quartz was just busted funny when I picked it up and the whetstone looking piece was just that- it was quite near the homestead- but it is soooo soft. And the "hammer stone"? I guess I'm not sure what to look at with some of these hard stone artifacts- other than a high polish and obvious shapes. What am I looking for in a hammer stone?

 

[GatorBoy]

First and foremost I would say look for other Native American associated artifacts in the area to give any stone a higher probability of being a Native American artifact. After that.. hammerstones come in different sizes and are generally some what round showing damage on one end from repeatedly striking another stone... and if used long enough will show some polish from the person's hand that was using it.

 

[keepsake]

It was found in my most productive field and the ends are rounded, but are you saying the entire rock would be ball shaped?

 

[GatorBoy]

That is not an artifact sorry. Think about holding a stone in your hand and repeatedly striking another one. It leaves visible damage on the outer part of the stone that was the working end. I have only one photo of one of mine at the moment.

 

[GatorBoy]

 

[keepsake]

can you post it? that was quick

 

[keepsake]

Is that marked/ polished above the fracture?

 

[rock]

First one looked interesting. I have found them in that shape but polished all over not just the ends. And the rest are just rocks. At least you got to go out and look. rock

 

[keepsake]

First one looked interesting. I have found them in that shape but polished all over not just the ends. And the rest are just rocks. At least you got to go out and look. rock

These have been lying around since last summer- 10 day forecast says 7 tonite then snow, a couple days pushing 40, then more snow- I'm ready for spring!! -although winter isn't all bad

Thanks for the replies!

 

[RockinIdaho]

I think that they are tools. I have found very similar shapes and in a cache, near a creek, where the working area of the land is flat and the banks are tree lined. this years weather has pushed up a lot of rocks and debris from years past. I am a newbie But I will post a little grouping of my similarities as soon as I am aloowed to!

 

[rock]

I think that they are tools. I have found very similar shapes and in a cache, near a creek, where the working area of the land is flat and the banks are tree lined. this years weather has pushed up a lot of rocks and debris from years past. I am a newbie But I will post a little grouping of my similarities as soon as I am aloowed to!

Do it in your own post and thread if you dont mind. Im not in Idaho by the way Welcome to the forum