Found this strange stone. Is there experts here of ancient tools? Also everybody feel free to specul

That looks like it well could be a pestle but I kinda doubt it. I am an archaeologist and I have seen many many ground stone artifacts from all over the continental US.

I would guess (i agree the pics are pretty fuzzy) that it is not a pestle but a hammer stone used for flint knapping. From what the pics show there appears to be some use wear on the terminal ends and it looks like it has a nice shape to it, would fit in the hand nicely. Pestles are generally more well formed, though this again would be easier to clear up if we knew where you found it and had some better pics of the terminal ends.

Also, just fyi in certain areas it is quite illegal to collect Native artifacts so be careful if you are out picking stuff up. If you feel like there is a significant site and you are interested in knowing more about it, contact a local museum. Most often if they feel the site warrants a survey or even an excavation they may allow you to join in on the field work which is alot of fun and might be a great experience for you.

However, even if you don't want to go that way, whatever you do DO NOT DIG!

Arnt they called mortar's.

The location is south in Finland. In a forest that is very protected by a law, it has a lot of historical value.

reply to post by nineix
I will try to get some better photos with better equipment. Its quite heavy and only markings really looks to me man made. Its not chipped anywhere, but its like in one part its been made a sharp angle..
Hard to explain without better photos.

reply to post by clowdstalker
Thanks! I take your advice on it. It would be great to be part of group exploring that site with full crew!

If you look to the lower left of the stone in this pic (cant circle it out because i haven't reinstalled Photoshop on this machine since i rebuilt) you will see what looks to be classic use wear from flint knapping, rather flat ground area off to the side. This is a byproduct of both striking the stone and edge grinding for platform preparation.


You can see the same manner of use wear in the upper left of the stone in this pic as well.


Just speculation though, the pics are super blurry. Better pics may show that i am way off base which i would totally accept, but I am pretty sure thats what you have got there. Neat find

Originally posted by clowdstalker
That looks like it well could be a pestle but I kinda doubt it. I am an archaeologist and I have seen many many ground stone artifacts from all over the continental US.

I would guess (i agree the pics are pretty fuzzy) that it is not a pestle but a hammer stone used for flint knapping. From what the pics show there appears to be some use wear on the terminal ends and it looks like it has a nice shape to it, would fit in the hand nicely. Pestles are generally more well formed, though this again would be easier to clear up if we knew where you found it and had some better pics of the terminal ends.

Also, just fyi in certain areas it is quite illegal to collect Native American artifacts so be careful if you are out picking stuff. If you feel like there is a significant site and you are interested in knowing more about it, contact a local museum. Most often if they feel the site warrants a survey or even an excavation they may allow you to join in on the field work which is alot of fun and might be a great experience for you.

However, even if you don't want to go that way, whatever you do DO NOT DIG!

I 2nd this. Context for artifacts, if it is an artifact is rather important.
Finding something, picking it up, and walking off with it totally destroys the context.

If you were to find something truly significant, but not really know how significant due to a lack of knowledge in the field and history on the topic as well as years of training in fieldwork and research associated with assessing the importance of primitive peoples artifacts and site locations, you could very well be destroying a very important piece of history just by moving stuff around, picking it and walking off with an item or two.

Very important.

Take lots of pictures. Move nothing. do not dig please!

If you just want something interesting, old, and primitive, there's lots of places that sell these things.
Sure it doesn't hold the same feel as a personal find, but, that's just ego.
Destroy a site of potentially of great historical significance for a trinket? or, help to understand who the site belonged to by calling in the trained experts, and maybe even getting to help discover, and make history.

reply to post by WeekendWarrior


Looks like potato stones

www.google.com... CMQsAQ&biw=960&bih=482

reply to post by nineix
Thing is that if this is any kind of artifact, Im going to contact some proffs and let them do the digging. It would just be supercool to be part of the group examing the site

Who knows what kind of stuff could pop out there, its great. But also its possible that its just a simple stone..

They look like regular river cobblestones to me.
I don't see any signs of tooling.

reply to post by clowdstalker

would fit in the hand nicely.

There are many stone tools where I live, and fitting the hand nicely is definitive for recognizing them. All the ones I have ever found do so. Agree could be napper, am thinking for grinding might not be heavy enough. In my area grinding was done on flattish rocks with larger round rocks.

Could you post some pics with the stone instead of the floor being in Focus?

I second the opinion that it is water eroded stone.

I want to say that looks like a phillips-head screwdriver or a maybe even a pozidriv... Too hard to tell, the photos are a tad out of focus.

Those cavemen were engineering marvels of their time, I tell you!

Photos were taken with a phone camera. I dont know why it took the floor as a focus. I need to borrow a better camera and maybe then repost this thread.

I will add couple of photos of the site.(Not my photos) Down from the tower is that pit left by the huge chunk of ice, wich we dont see in these photos. Anyway it was no found in the pit, but uphill near the tower where there is a part with no grass, but more ground, sand and stones.

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And thanks to everybody for input