Grinding Tool?

[Huzzah!]

Found this at a recently discovered knapping site. Is there any significance here?

One side is much smoother than the others. At first I thought it was broken, but the broken edge is worn down on the ground-down side which indicates the item had to have been used after it had been broken. The other edges of the broken edge are significantly sharper and not ground or worn at all.

Thoughts and opinions please.

This side appears to be ground.


This is the other side that is clearly not as worn as in the first photo


Another shot of the worn face.


These two final photos show the broken edge where it has been ground down post-break. This is best exhibited in the first photo.


This final photo shows a good view of the broken side's edges that are not ground and how far up the broken edge that has been ground goes.

 

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[uniface]

Looks plausible, FWIW.

 

[Older The Better]

Looks like one to me

 

[gunsil]

C'mon, it's just an old rock with no signs of human use.

 

[Quartzite Keith]

In the pictures all I see is a naturally broken quartzite cobble, but it may be one of those things that just doesn't photograph well. If one of the rough sides was used an an abrader, you would feel it more than see it. When a hard stone like quartzite, granite or basalt is used in an abrading or rasping type way the problem is the the stone is too hard to shed material and stay abrasive, so instead it polishes and loses effectiveness as an abrasive. This can be hard to see, but the the tops of the little bumps on the rough (broken) side smooth over and get quite slick, which you easily feel.

I would like to hear and see more of what is being found at this site if it is a knapping site, especially if it is a quartzite work site.

 

[arrow86]

I would have left it behind looks natural to me

 

[Huzzah!]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Keith--I'll keep you updated. I hunted the place out so I just took a hand-plow to a portion of the area today--supposed to rain tomorrow/Tuesday. I'll shoot you a picture of what I found.

 

[Jon Stewart]

I need to get a good look at it but it could be a mano. I found a few over the years, close to a hundred of them, so I have seen a few. Hold it at angle to the sun and if it is a mano you will see the smooth wear on it.

 

[Older The Better]

Sure looks like one to me. Here’s almost the exact thing except mine has two sides.
Mine was found in a dirt upland area with the occasional bit of limestone. I’ve handled a lot of sandstone from nearby areas and this piece has had the cortex pecked off. It was also found in association with lots of flakes and a few tools



Here’s another found in a field on a river terrace where a levee blew back into the river and the water scoured a huge hole as it rushed out. Again there is little rock in the soil and was again found in context with flakes stone tools and a layer of firecracked limestone.

 

[Huzzah!]

Jon--I will try to get some more detailed pics up soon!

Older--those are sweet man. That second one is nice--well used. The wear on my piece isn't as noticeable of course, but I can't understand how that broken edge got so worn exactly where it did if this was to be natural. No where else around the broken edge is it worn at all--still sharp.

 

[Huzzah!]

I think this is the best I can do, Jon. What you think? The two middle pics show that worn area along the broken edge well

 

[Jon Stewart]

From here it sure looks like a mano to me. I have broken ones just like it. I also have many single sided manos, double sides and a few three sided. I wouldn't toss it.