Can anyone tell me what this is?

[CarolinaFinder2011]

Hi everyone. New to the group and was wondering if anyone could help me identify a piece that my father found about 40 years ago. It was found near the Savannah River in Jasper County, SC. I have had a person or two look at it and give me their opinion but just wanted to let all of my new friends here take a stab at it. I just would really like to know what it is. I am sure I have left out some information that you may need so please ask any questions you may have. Thanks for any help.

 

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[mojjax]

Looks like it might be a Native American fire starter . Nice find!

 

[goldencoin]

Perhaps an oil lamp if there is an outlet for a wick, I don't think it is a fire starter because if it is hollow inside, it seems like a lot of work when a simple hole would suffice and would make it more fragile, not a durable tool.

HH
-GC

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Looks like it might be a Native American fire starter . Nice find!

socket?

 

[bradyboy]

question -
does the hole sides go straight to the bottom?
or, can you stick your pinkie finger and find a ridge
in other words, is the inside of the hole greater than the diameter of the surface hole that we see
Brady

 

[TimC]

Welcome to the Tnet. I have found several stones with similar holes in them. Maybe simply a stone from under a constant drip of water. Mother Nature has all the time in the world, no hurry.
TimC

 

[taz42o]

My guess would be a sedimentary rock that formed around a clay core when a hole got broke through the clay got wet and soft and fell out, sometimes you find them with the clay still trapped inside that has dried and shrunk and they rattle.

 

[Silver Searcher]

Looks like it might be a Native American fire starter . Nice find!

You could be right :P here is some similar

http://sracenter.blogspot.com/2008/12/what-is-this-artifact.html

SS

 

[CarolinaFinder2011]

Hi everyone and thanks for all your comments and ideas as to what this piece is. One question was if the inside part of the piece was hollowed out and yes it is. The opening you see in the picture is just that. One thing I forgot to mention in the original posting was that the piece was found in a area where there were quite a bit of arrowheads and pottery pieces found. Thought that might help in some way. Thanks again for all the ideas and really glad I found a new place to share my treasure hunting fever.

 

[littleneckhalfshell]

We always called rocks with hollows in them like that, "Indian Paint Pots" I think they were natural creations, if you look up "Indian Paint Pot" you may find some information on them. I would think that a rock for a fire drill would want to be one that was 'smooth' not rough, as the top rock is just a bearing to put pressure on the point that is making the friction in the wood block below to get the ember for the fire started. Your rock looks abrasive or rough, so I would not think it would work well for a fire drill pivot.

 

[Goldwind]

We always called rocks with hollows in them like that, "Indian Paint Pots" I think they were natural creations, if you look up "Indian Paint Pot" you may find some information on them. I would think that a rock for a fire drill would want to be one that was 'smooth' not rough, as the top rock is just a bearing to put pressure on the point that is making the friction in the wood block below to get the ember for the fire started. Your rock looks abrasive or rough, so I would not think it would work well for a fire drill pivot.

I agree with littleneckhalfshell...we called them "Indian Paint Rocks"..they are like Geodes..hollow inside but most have a purple or brown powder residue..my mother said the Indians mixed the powder with berry juice to make their "war paint"...don't know if it's true or not!

 

[taz42o]

http://www.garviespointmuseum.com/concretions.php

 

[Tony in SC]

First let me say welcome to T Net. It probably is Native American related. The Savannah River is probably the best place in the country to find artifacts. Have you heard about the site in Allendale county? It is probably going to be the oldest site ever found. Tony

 

[CarolinaFinder2011]

Hi and thanks for all the additional welcomes to the group and ideas as to what the piece might be. Yes Tony I have heard of the "Topper" site in Allendale County. South Carolina Public Television just aired a show tonight about the site and it was amazing.

 

[High Plains Digger]

Ok, I am a little tired today, so I didn't understand about the hole. Is it a "straight down" hole or shaft, or does the hole go through the surface of the rock into a hollow opening where you could stick your finger in it and turn a right angle?

 

[CarolinaFinder2011]

Yes the interior of the piece is hollowed out so you could insert your finger and turn a right angle.

 

[CarolinaFinder2011]

It is about 5.5 by 3.5 inches.

 

[High Plains Digger]

I don't have any experience with "paint pots" but I don't think it was "made" hollow like that. Something else was inside that was much softer, or not preserved, and just rotted out. I don't know how the nice hole got there, perhaps that was part of the encapsulation. But I doubt and Indian hollowed out the inside of a rock. It is much easier to make a cup out of rawhide and let it dry, or make a small bowl out of mud and put it in the fire after dinner.

Just another "fartifact". I have a limonite concretion that looks like an acorn, the prairies are cover with little limonites that look like rabbit droppings, and I gave a friend a piece of a limonite concretion that looked just like a piece of Borman shell, but it didn't weigh enough.