A Artifact I found in Texas

Here is what I found about sandstone
Once the geological characteristics of a sandstone have been established, it can then be assigned to one of three broad groups:

* arkose or arkosic sandstones, which have a high (>25%) feldspar content and a composition similar to granite.
* quartzose sandstones, also known as "beach sand", which have a high (>90%) quartz content. Sometimes these sandstones are termed "orthoquartzites", e.g., the Tuscarora Quartzite of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians.
* argillaceous sandstones, such as greywacke or bluestone, which have a significant clay or silt content.

Aeolian sandstone is a term used for a rock which is composed of sand grains that show signs of significant transportation by wind. These have usually been deposited in desert environments.

According to the USGS, U.S. sandstone production in 2005 was 192,000 metric tons worth $24.3 million, the largest component of which was the 121,000 metric tons worth $9.75 million of flagstone or dimension stone
en.wikipedia.org...

Here is a picture of the Quartz sandstone
It is what I think it is ..it looks very similar in texture as my head does.

upload.wikimedia.org...(quartz)USGOV.jpg

Someone was asking about the neck area in one the posts .

The neck has been broken off ,...and there is a stem (Is sandstone too) or something like that hanging down from the neck ...which is pointy and ragged at the end ...so it was broken off something .... ..

reply to post by Simplynoone


Hi, I spent alot of tome studying Southwestern Artifacts and from what I can tell it seems to be a artifact from Mexico, trade routes passed through there. You can also find copper in some of the Ruins. But yeah this is screaming Mexico, central america artifact. Not uncommon to find them.

reply to post by kdial1


Interesting Kdail1

Can you recommend a source thats discuss this type of material from Mexico?

I took pictures of my head with me when I went to Cancun and visited the Mayan ruins ...they (I know they were not experts) but they told me it did not look mexican ...Also if it was why didnt the Smithsonian and the Universities say it was if it was ?They said no ..Not Mexican ..not Asian ...etc ..they could not figure out where it may have come from but they said they knew where it didnt come from.

Originally posted by Simplynoone
I found it about 21 years ago in a town called Midlothian.

Heyhey! I know where that is!

.Just above it where the supposed ancient burial site was is a City Workers area (they store tractors etc there)

I've worked with material from a burial site in the area, and it's not like the material from the Indians of the area.
www.texasbeyondhistory.net...

I dug deep into that dump and found out it goes back to the 50s according to the bottles and stuff I found.(I was into bottles at the time) .

How cool! Did you ever join any societies or show your collection anywhere?

The place I found it was just above that dump in a washout area looked like it could have been a personal dump from a house that used to be there (Years ago) ...So it could have just come from that house .

Quite likely, particularly if you found it with things that look like a personal dump from the house.

it could be just a clay figure from Mexico I guess ..But everyone who looked at it and the picture said NO it is not NEW.or Modern.

That suggests it was something that the house owner had and loved at one time. I've got several very old things here at the house (including a couple of Bast amulets bought from an archaeologist that are about 2600 years old) -- so the house could have belonged to someone who was a collector of these things.

.Anyway I find it interesting

It is... it's a beautiful little piece!

I did show it to many of the locals when I was a waitress at the local restaurants ...they didnt have a clue ..they were the ones who told me there was talk of a burial grounds in that area

Don't know of any burials there, and the local Indian groups didn't have burial grounds but rather buried people at the temporary campsites.

..This town has many places where arrowheads and sharks teethe (a place called Sharkey Hill) are found all over ...So who knows..

Ohyeah... good place for fish and sharks!

Originally posted by Simplynoone
..they could not figure out where it may have come from but they said they knew where it didnt come from.

Often that's very useful information because it elimiates wrong leads.

The pictures of the "weeping figures" are interesting, but they're not the same and the native culture didn't get to the Dallas area. BUT... if one of the previous owners happened to be a collector (which is likely) then it could have come from most anywhere.

I like the patina on the cheek... just a very interesting piece.

Thanks Byrd I appreciate your input
Very useful link you brought in .

And maybe your right they could have been collectors I hadnt thought about that .

There was other stuff that went down that washout area ..It was still raining and washing out when I was there just looking around when I found that head I could see stuff dropping into the water below (the creek ) it was a big mud pit so I didnt want to dig in it .......I did not go back after I found the head ..
It is hard telling what else I could have found.

reply to post by Simplynoone


Humans tend to collect things. I've been to the Roman trading ports in India and their is tons of Roman world stuff there. My father was in Chungking during the war and brought back some interesting ancient stuff. If our house burned down and that got into the soil of the NW USA then it could be a bit confusing to a future archaeologist to try and figure out how a piece of porcelian from that period got to the US.

I remember a Scandanivan burial that had Arabic coins in it. The gentlemen had probably been a mercenary for the Byzantines.

An Italian grave site had a bronze Hindu statuette in it - it had obviously travelled far.

......and so on

Originally posted by Simplynoone
There was other stuff that went down that washout area ..It was still raining and washing out when I was there just looking around when I found that head I could see stuff dropping into the water below (the creek ) it was a big mud pit so I didnt want to dig in it .......I did not go back after I found the head ..

Are you familiar with the Texas Archaeological Society? Every year they have a "field school" and anybody can come and help out on a dig. With your good deductive powers and experience with bottles and so forth, I think you'd have a blast!

And you might find someone who could give you a better opinion on the little head you found. Ya got my guesses, but I'd be interested to see what a group made of it.

reply to post by Byrd


It well worth the time to do a bit of voluntary field work - great fun.

[If our house burned down and that got into the soil of the NW USA then it could be a bit confusing to a future archaeologist to try and figure out how a piece of porcelian from that period got to the US. ]


LOL I bet that would be interesting wouldnt it lol .



Yes I have thought about that many times ..I just hate dirt under my nails LOL ..

I am older now too and it hurts to bend LOL >..

reply to post by Simplynoone


They can put you on the rack then.......one of the names for the soil screening device. Or you can just provide money and logistical support.

Always appreciated

........If you're real nice they'll let you be the guy who does all the reburying of the secret stuff everyone isn't suppose to know about......