Prehistoric Punch

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Here is a beautiful example of a net-impressed rimsherd. The sample was found by a neighbor in the Palisades. The perfect symmetry of a rectangular pattern is unusual.
photo by Maria Stenzel

I returned recently to the Smithsonian archeological archives to research Little Compton, RI where a friend, Nick Keenan, owns a farm.   The meeting had orginally been intended to fact-check a poster that I made of American Indian smoking pipes, but that project’s geographical scope is broad and more effectively researched using the archive’s online images.  Instead, Nick and I concentrated on the area of Little Compton.  The objects  (mostly from Tiverton, RI) represented the fairly common East Coast prehistoric assemblage.  There were many New England gouges, and an array of celts/adzes, beautifully grooved axes, giant pestles, projectile points, pendants, atlatl weights, and some amulets.   As is often the case, the artifact’s intended use was not always clear – especially in the case of many teardrop-shaped stones topped with a knob (presumably for attaching a cord).  Often referred to as plumb weights, these stones might have been suspended by string for measuring time.  Another possibility is their use as bola stones or net weights. I am hesitant to consider these net-weights for the simple reason that quickly modified rocks could work just as well. The effort invested into shaping such rocks seems extravagant for sinking a net.

This plumb/bola stone from Massachusetts founds its way to the RI drawer

The collections also housed a fair number of pipes.  Their peculiar small size suggested it was a utilitarian component to their lives (a habit) – something that could conveniently be tucked into a satchel and carried about.

Small Soapstone Pipes from RI

Key School artifact: half of a stone blade found 2009

A recent find on the earthen slope in front of Key School Elementary prompted another parent to come forward with a find from last year.   At left, half of a stone blade and below a – hmm, maybe something like the artifact recovered far below? 

The Key School artifact may also be a plumb stone, bola stone, weave-weight, or . . .   oh yeah, there’s one more possibility- it’s just a strange rock that had been sitting unnoticed for eons until a Key School parent picked it up.