Amateur needing help identifying a bone (possibly ivory) artifact

[Jmanrizz]

I found this the other day and would like some input as to what it might be. It is made of bone or ivory. I think that it is ivory as it is not porous like most bones I know of. It has a grain to it much like hippo ivory (the only ivory I have ever held in my hand). Also, it is very hard to the tooth. It definitely had two holes drilled through it on eiach end. They are about 1-1/2" to 2" center to center and would have been 1/4"-5/15" in diameter. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

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[d2]

What part of the country did you find it, that may help some. Sure it's not a piece of deer antler? What ever it is it is neat...d2

 

[Icewing]

Definitely not ivory.

 

[creskol]

... Sure it's not a piece of deer antler?....

That would be my guess, too.

 

[Jmanrizz]

What part of the country did you find it, that may help some. Sure it's not a piece of deer antler? What ever it is it is neat...d2

Found on the Texas shoreline.

 

[Jmanrizz]

Could be antler I guess. I'm no expert and this is not clearly identifiable to me. It is extremely hard on the tooth. (Sounds funny I know) unlike antler in my opinion. I have a set of hippo tusks that a friend gave me for knife handles and the grain looks similar to me. However I know enough to know that I don't know much about this stuff. Lol

 

[Jmanrizz]

Bump

 

[4x4x4]

....Used as . . . arrow shaft straightener ? breast piece embellishment ?

 

[Goldfinger450]

Looks like a fishing Hand line holder OR a dead fall trip for the trap. Whatever it is I think it is VERY Old.

 

[Jmanrizz]

I was thinking something ornamental like a breastpeice or jewelry. I have heard of a shaft straightener, but I'm not really sure what they might look like. Didn't think of a lone holder or a trip for a trap. Could be. I do agree that it is OLD!

Thanks for your input!

 

[tamrock]

Maybe it's a game call? Being you said it feels really hard like stone leads me to believe it's sat sealed without much oxygen in moist mineralized soil for a few thousand years and the minerals in the water have begun petrified it. I'm thinking it could be bird bone. I've found bison bone fragments that were dug up deep from prairie dogs and they're very hard and preserved in a way different, then bone that would be bleached and dried out by the sun from being exposed on the surface for many years and they're very crumbly.

http://www.peachstatearchaeologicalsociety.org/index.php/14-bone-tools/134-bone-tools

 

[4x4x4]

And.....Welcome from Southern California !

 

[P.ALLEN]

it's funny how old bone sometimes mimics ivory, folks will often categorize antler in the same category but it's not the same. Old bone if preserved in just the right way becomes dense(it's already kind of dense when it's fresh) I think it's seen a cooking fire before (hunch) and it's obviously water worn, You find a lot of marine bone and turtle shell fossils in Georgia/Florida (Pleistocene/Miocene/Eocene) that end up black through deposition and folks discount them for stone. I like the notion of the flute/game call shaft straightener.

 

[Jmanrizz]

Thanks for posting the link Tamrock!! I followed it to read up on the photograph you shared, but if you look at the section of fish hooks there is a photo containing 8 items. The one on the bottom left is almost exactly the same shape and size as my artifact. Given that it was found in a coastal environment I'd be inclined to think that may be what it is. Would you guys agree?