Mystery Rock guy - Possible Core, Pottery, Scraper

[MarkO]

Hi - I sent yesterdays link to this site to a handful or archeo/lithic types and they got back to me on my mystery rock post. The make strong cases for natural occurrence. I still think otherwise as I can articulate the hammer and fit just too many grooves, nicks, etc. Burden of proof is on me, got it! TBC...

I came across all of this by accident, I wasn't searching for finds. I tossed out a good handful of pottery a few years back xxxxxxx x xxxxxxxx xxxxx...ooops.

I have three things here which are from same immediate area as mystery rock. One appears to me to be a core. I don't remember if it came up with mystery rock or another xxxxx xxxxx x xxxx xxx this fall. Can someone tell me what kind of rock this is and if it appears to be a genuine core? It is about 4"x4"x2.5"

I know the pottery piece came xx xxx xxxxx xxxx xxx but know even less about pottery than I do rocks. Does this look "native" or is it modern stuff? It has a black glaze on backside that is strange to me. BTW - I did also come across definitely modern terra cotta fragments in same area. I also have historic porcelain pieces and an odd piece of aggregate brick that is porcelain coated on one surface from the same "xxxxx xxx" - I guess I try to find another site to ID those. Any ideas?

Finally, I have what I think is a make believe scraper. My wife found it laying right on top of the ground where I dug up mystery rock when I made her come look at the spot with me. She found it fit her hand nicely. I imagine the staining on the back side where you would palm it to be residue of skinning process. You know a handful of bloody scrapings.

I appreciate any help and comments on these items. Thanks in advance.

Mark

[longtimefree]

marko , hard to tell from the pics , but i would have to say concerning the first rock , that it has the hand of man on it , and alot , it appears to be a hammerstone, i am an amatuer but i have seen odd stones worked and peppered with nicks like that before , we can only imagine what they were used for really. the native american tool box was one of many types , trying to ID them and there uses is very hard , most that are obviously made by man are head scratchers, with the exception of drills scrapers knives and manos, welcome to the site from san diego ca keep on posting and asking questions

[tomclark]

That first one looks like a spent core that was still being used for various things, perhaps grinding while knapping, and/or graving, scraping, chopping, hammering. Are any of the (angular) surfaces ground smooth?

[MarkO]

Thank you for the SanDiego welcome longtimefree! I spent a perfectly miserable 3 months out there a long time ago in Marine Corps bootcamp. I remember the beautiful weather but am still blocking out much of the rest. Talk about not free!

Thanks for the insight/opinion on the top rock, that helps.

[MarkO]

tomclark - thanks for info
Mine is an untrained eye but all of the edges appear very sharp to me. I don't see any rounded or softened edges.

[fldwlkr]

The pottery appears to have glaze on it. The Natives did not use glazing in their pottery. Anything with a true glaze is after the "white guys" showed up.
fldwlkr

[knife river]

I've seen small outcrops of that chert on the Ice Age Trail just west of Cross Plains. 99% of it is unknappable, but the Indians tried to get what they could out of it. I think that's the case with your piece -- they could remove a few useable flakes and did so.

The middle two photos look like salt glaze pottery from the late 1800s, early 1900s. The brown blob on one face is what some pottery collectors call a "turkey dropping" caused when the glaze drips off a pot being fired in the kiln and lands on a lower pot. I'm sure you can find lots of pics if you google "Red Wing salt glaze."

The last photos look like a bit of natural limestone.