Is this a hoof pestle?

[exahab]

This item was found in a known camp where a friend has found several points. The bottom is flat and shines in several spots. One side and the bottom are a couple shades darker from the rest of the stone ( possibly from grinding grain and getting oil on stone and fingers) the top right pic shows best the discoloration I mean. It fits in hand well.
Whatcha guys think?

 

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[Davers]

It's def, interesting.
GLWID.

 

[creekhunter]

I would say so, the shape might not be quite right (symmetry) but the wear looks right, neat find!

 

[exahab]

Any others wanna chime in like Grim or Monsterrack
would love to hear your thoughts

 

[choo]

That is definetley a hoof pestle very nice!

 

[monsterrack]

I would like to see some photos of the rounded end please. The flat end of this stone was not used to grind or it would be rounded to some degree, but it could have been used to polish softer stone items, work hides down to a softer texture. The say hoof comes from the angle that the stone sits in a grinding stone bowl area. These artifacts have been mentioned in books by Hothem and Catlin. There are some photos of them out there, just Google the name and look at the photos. One thing I'm sure of is that the flat area was not for grinding. Cool find it would have come home with me also

 

[dognose]

It does not appear to me to be a pestle, hoof or otherwise. It does not appear to have any peck marks often found as remnants of the shaping process or use wear polish.

I have found a number of hoof and bell pestles over the years. While not an everyday find, its not uncommon to find one or two a year.

 

[rock]

I just call them Grinders. I have found 1 Hoof Pestle just by the shape but all the others have been Grinders for whatever. Some will have the discoloration still on them I have 1 I can share its a Grinder. The last pic is an assorted pile some can even have pits on the sides.

 

[dognose]

not uncommon to find one or two a year. Found another pestle today.
Third pestle in the last two months

 

[The Grim Reaper]

To me it looks more like natural erosion and battering than the pecking used to make a Pestle or Hammer Stone.

 

[exahab]

here ya go monsterrack

 

[tnmudman]

Pestles or grinders arent all going to look the same. All of them werent shaped by the peck and grind method, they weren't made frome the same materials. The ones with the classic bellshape,by pecking and grinding will be the ones most valuable to most collectors though.I feel like i am stating the obvious,but i dont believe every hardstone artifact must have been shaped by peck and grind to be ligitimate.Just my opinion.

 

[oryancochran]

pfs Jay co. Indiana

 

[oryancochran]