Shell Artifact ?? Or not.

[IndianRiverSonrise]

I picked this shell up on a Florida beach and had it sitting around for a number of years and just today went out and noticed something that i had never noticed before. There is an obvious man-made slot cut through the shell. The shell is about 8.25 inches tall. The cut slot is about one inch long, and between 1/16 and 1/8 across. I think you can see in one photo where a tool made a mark at roughly a ten degree angle from the slot.

I don't know if it is an Indian artifact. The shell might actually be fossilized as it has that chalky feel to it.

I have found points in the same general beach area. What do you think?

 

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[jpitt1970]

Nice.

Definitely shows the hand of Man, but how or when is anyone's guess. Maybe it was cut just to get the animal out for dinner, or an unfinished plummet??

 

[IndianRiverSonrise]

After posting the note, I noticed that the top of the shell was not present. I didn't originally pay much asttention to that, but it looks like it was intentionally removed on a straight line rather than with the natural breaks in the shell.

On blowing on the top, I found that the air went all the way through (not surprising) and that made me think that might be related to the slot somehow. Don't know.

I also noticed that when blowing on the slot at the right angle, you could get a little conch shell affect. Don't know if that has anything to do with the slot or if that might just be a misdirection. I think the shell is very old and was found in with a lot of fossils.

Thanks for your help.

 

[IndianRiverSonrise]

OK. I am now convinced. I saw a photo of a conch shell horn and how the top was removed. It looked very much like this one. As a result I blew in the top and after a few times got a very loud (hurt my own ears) sound. So I am convinced it is a horn. And the shell is very old - fossilized in my opinion. The only thing I would now like to prove is how long ago the work was done.

Of course I'd still be glad to hear any ideas even if completely to the contrary.

Here is the photo that gave me the idea that it might be like that.

Thanks

 

[centfladigger]

cool shell, thats a horse conch and the whorl inside is different than that of a busycon conch. the whorl inside the horse has the grooves/twist in it and alot of the plummets were made from these. Alos if they wanted to remove the animal they would have knocked a hole up towards the top and cut the toe. the first 2 pics are of a chisel made from the whorl of the horse conch and the last one is a unfinished plummet

 

[IndianRiverSonrise]

Thanks for your help. Now knowing that it is a horse conch, I was able to locate some more information.

Here is what I found on wikipedia about horse conchs.

Archaeological and anthropological uses - In classic Mayan art, the Horse Conch is shown being utilized in many ways including as paint and ink holders for elite scribes, and also as a bugle or trumpet.

In southern Florida, Native Americans, including the Calusa and Tequesta, used the horse conch to make several types of artifact. The whole shell, or more commonly only the columella, was attached to a wooden handle and used as a hammer or woodworking tool. The body whorl was used as a drinking cup. The columella was also used to make plummets or sinkers.


So now I know that they were used for horns, and that both the Calusa and Tequesta used them.


Thanks

 

[tomclark]

Sorry I just noticed this thread and it's an old one. That shell looks cut with a machete or knife. This is the method used in historic times and now. Many historic sites (even on top of older sites) show these same artifacts of food preparing.
Horse conch is delicious and is the Florida State Shell. It's also the largest shell. The columnellas were valuable for tools and they were also made into hafted hammers and adzes.

 

[centfladigger]

Sorry I just noticed this thread and it's an old one. That shell is cut with a machete, to cut the attachment of the muscle/snail so it would slide out, without having to cook it first. This is the method used in historic times and now. Many historic sites (even on top of older sites) show these same artifacts of food preparing.
Horse conch is delicious and is the Florida State Shell. It's also the largest shell. The columnellas were valuable for tools and they were also made into hafted hammers and adzes.

yeah TOm, I waited for months and months for you to chime in . I walked the shell thingy by your house last month and was saddened by the amount of concrete slabs covering whats left of it

 

[tomclark]

They might as well have put those slabs over my dead body. What a disgusting mess. Plus they put shellpit fossil shells all over the beach.