How do you ID a hammerstone?

[GrouseMan]

I was walking down a woods road today and found this stone. It looks beat up on the one edge. I’m not convinced it’s anything, as it was in the middle of nowhere with no other artifacts. But I have found similar looking stones at some of my hunting spots.

Anyway, it got me wondering, how do you all ID true hammerstones from naturally worn stones, like what I’m assuming I have here?

 

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[CreekSide]

Just going by what I found in my area. I’d have to say it’s just a weathered rock. Could of been run over or broken due to freezing. Doesn’t look like a stone I’ve ever found looking extra grainy to me. But just my opinion maybe someone else will say different.

 

[dognose]

I agree it look natural.

Hammerstones I find, are distinctive from other miscellaneous rocks. Some are nice and polished, except for the hammer end or ends where there are often dimples. Dimples similar to those dimples you see on the hardstone relic often hammerstones are often used to shape. They are a tool in the toolkit used for a specific phase of the artifact manufacture process.

Some relics are initially shaped using the hammerstone, then some like this slate celt are then flaked, followed by polishing with an abrasive and hide or the like.

The dimples of a hammerstone look like this