It doesn't get any better than this - Indian Petroglyph Contact Period Items

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,803
41,064
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I went back to the mountains and rivers, and tried again to get what I missed the other day. I'm going to have to dig soon. I used the Deus and it started sucking small items out of the ground. This time I dug the smaller bits of aluminum as there are a number of smaller items in this one particular field. I ran into a bunch of fire cracked rocks, and at 6" there was still charcoal staining in the soil!

The site overlooks the river on a small flat bluff! Perfect for seeing who's coming up river!

First up was a round ball! Indian and made of lead! Then I started picking up numerous flakes. I think its Onondaga chert, if that's how its spelled. The rocks around are Devonian in age and full of fossils. Unfortunately, not the expensive kind.

Then I spied this nice grinder on top of the ground. The one side is totally flat! IMG_1822.JPG

Not far behind it was a nice net sinker, I think this is the one, as I found two almost identical and put them together in the sorting box before thinking.IMG_1823.JPG

The flakes are almost homogeneous in nature, they are almost all the same material. IMG_1827.JPG

I then circled back and snagged a cuff Rev War period button at about 8" with the Deus.IMG_1826.JPG It's sitting next to a rather fancy flake.

A few feet away was this piece of 18th century Chinese export porcelain.IMG_1824.JPG

I moved a little closer to the little road, now, I haven't covered much ground at all, but I have tried to cover it well.

I got a decent sort of signal and got a tinkle cone. There were more signals and a lot of charcoal in the hole so kept going and it was unreal!IMG_1818.JPG Those are two more Indian tinkle cones worn as ornaments and an Indian made gunflint out of the same material the flakes are made of.

At this point I dug some more and got a sweet sounding signal so dug out a pretty good amount of dirt and saw a glint of silver! A holed pendant in silver. Probably used to be a reale or something, and after a little more digging a 1/2 reale cob! It's pretty bad, but do I really care! No! As I'm going through the dirt, I see a glint of reddish small something. Indian trade beads, and by the time I got done going through the dirt found the rest of these beads and two small pistol balls or buck shot.

The farmer was starting to come my direction on his tractor so I decided to fill the hole (field not planted but by today it is). Unfortunately, I had found no arrowheads at all! Some days you don't.

So I put the detector up and concentrated on looking for points. No luck in that area, even with all the flakes.

I drove about 100' down the dirt road, and got out and spied some fire burned rocks. After looking around a bit I did pull out a couple points. They were HARD to spot!IMG_1825.JPG

On the way out I was driving slower than a turtle in January looking for more fire cracked rocks (you find them, you find arrowheads most of the time), anyway, I'm looking out the window and glance farther away from the truck and see an odd shaped rock in the field. The natural shale rocks are simply not shaped like this.

So I stopped and got out and got over to it (totally mud covered) and thought I had found a large pestle. Uh, re think that.

I started looking at it closer and got the shock of a lifetime. The rock is 13" x 3" x 2" and is quite regular in shape. Both ends were rounded, like the top of an old fashioned tombstone.

I'm thinking WHAT?

I even sent a couple uncleaned pics to some buddies to make sure I simply wasn't losing my mind. They think I've lost my mind, but they all agree on some of the scratchings on the rocks.

IMG_1811.JPG The rock has significant plow hits to it. There are fossils inside, which hasn't helped much in my determining Indian made inscriptions from fossil fragments.

IMG_1812.JPGIMG_1813.JPGIMG_1815.JPGIMG_1816.JPGIMG_1817.JPGIMG_1814.JPG

I see a figure of a person, what looks like a fish, numerous dots, a leaf shaped thing with hash marks inside it, either a cross, knife or sword, three "V"'s maybe teepees???, and the one face of the rock the plow has destroyed. I used some water soluble tan paint on the lines I think are something. It would have been better had not the one side been destroyed by the plow, so it's not possible to see what might have been there. There is also a face there that is very faint I forgot to highlight. About 1/2" in diameter. I didn't do too good a job with the tan paint. But if I didn't highlight them, someone one day might just throw the piece out!

I suppose this piece is a first, and a last for me. I've been looking for artifacts since I was about 6!

I'll come down off the ceiling soon. Or not.

The silvers! ARRGGGH! Here they are!IMG_1821.JPG I'll try to get a pic of the other little face too.IMG_1830.JPG There are actually circles around each eye, but I have to find my little brush. You might be able to see them without a highlight however.
 

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Upvote 50
Wow Smokey! I know nothing of Native American artifacts. But if it is, as you say, a native tombstone, I'd say congratulations on your latest banner find. I've never seen one posted here!
 

Nice variety! From NA to coins to rev war artifacts..I bet you aren't down off the ceiling yet!
 

Thank you all. It's a shame the one face of the rock has been plow destroyed. No mistaking several of the figures. My inept attempt at drawing over a few with Walmart variety tan paint looks like a 2 year old did it, but I suppose I had to do something. There is a really worn out face I'll highlight and post a pic of. I do know what it's original use way. I thought a pestle, but who knows?

Normally you see rock carvings in museums or parks, not in your (now) living room.
 

Wow, woW, WOW!!!! Congratulations!!!! :hello2::notworthy:
 

Very Well Done Smokey. You found quite a variety of artifacts. The stone is over the top. I have always wanted to hunt for Native American artifacts, but never knew just where to go. I have found some pieces of arrowheads and white quartz rock that has been chipped as if they wen't through a meat slicer. Also a few stones that may have been used for skinning, etc. In one bed in our front yard I found a nice size rock (milky white quartz) that has had the center of the rock chipped out. You can even see little pick marks in the rock where the tool was used to remove the rock. In this same area is where I found quite a few pieces of the quartz rock as if this area is where they were making points or arrowheads. Our lot sits up a little high above road level. We are just before the culdesac on our street, and the Alcovy River flows just behind the culdesac. I'd like to one day send you some pic's since you know N.A. artifacts and see what you think of it this is just my imagination. Congrat's on some great finds.
 

Devldog, send me some pics for sure. A higher flat spot overlooking the river would be a good spot for them to camp, there were not enough American Indians population wise to line every inch of riverbank, but I'll bet your local history books would be of some help. Getting in a shallow stream gets quite a few. Just not in my backyard. Never found one here, and I have a pretty big creek, but with the Chesapeake bay not far away, well, they had better places to be.

More points:IMG_1834.JPGIMG_1835.JPG

Mrs. turtleIMG_1832.JPG

Possible copper culture artifacts, beads, pendants from fire pit area.IMG_1836.JPG
 

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One never gets tired of picking up chips/points/artifacts. Congratulations on the hunt.
 

Whoa...unbelievable assortment of artifacts, you never cease to amaze with your finds. Well done sir
 

Banner Find Awesome finds Smokey I could tell you were pretty excited when you found that,I called you ,at the right and wrong time !!!!! lol That petroglyth is freakin cool plow hit or not Ive never seen one before or posted before Good job, Deb!!!!!!
 

Those are some insane finds!! Big congrats on some stellar finds!!

If you get the time, could you post pictures of the silver cobs?
 

The silvers! ARGGGHHH! I thought for sure I had posted them. They are there now in the first post.
 

I literally spotted the petroglyph - rock with carvings - from a good distance away. It just plain stood out by its shape. I am going back tomorrow, my birthday! Maybe I'll find something else. I am going to dig up where the ash layer and fire cooked rocks are, I am not bringing the sifter, I think the shovel will hit even the small rocks and I'll hear them "clang" and will inspect every one.
 

Fantastic find!. You must have your eyeballs tweeked in the relics mode!!
 

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