A Classic Florida Shell Scraper

[H.P.]

 

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[Edgychris1]

That's awesome! I found one here. I really need to sit down with someone who can help me understand the in and outside of the shells. Here's a pic of one I found. Cant determine if ground or what...

Those are great Tomclark

 

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[newnan man]

That's awesome! I found one here. I really need to sit down with someone who can help me understand the in and outside of the shells. Here's a pic of one I found. Cant determine if ground or what...

Those are great Tomclark

Was it a land find? It looks too sharp & pointed to have been rolling around in the surf. Has possibilities for sure but I can't see any smooth ground surfaces.

 

[tomclark]

Shells break in the surf and the hardest part is the columnella hence it remains in the surf and rolls and rolls...produces spirals just by the nature of the material and the sand and rolling. BUT!! We find these on top of middens and within middens. We find them large and very small. There are a LOT of columnellas on midden sites West Florida. I think the tiny ones (have found several in one spot together) may have been used as a part of a composite fish hook or used as a gorge. I also think the ones of certain fingerish-long size were used as crab/shellfish picks. Smaller gastropods when boiled or roasted just pop out when you use a little tool just like some of those. Many columnellas were worked to Preform stage for use later as a plumment, perforator, columnella "hammer" or.....?

. If in good shape you can see the work/chipping/abrading on the edges of the free shell on the columnella, regular, similar chips and human smoothing. Hard to tell if rolled in the surf after eroding out..... If they were used as a perforator they would need to be stouter on the business end...