Those half rounded holes were for making Marbles. Native Americans played many types of games and they played Marbles of different sizes. They weren't nutting stones, or for starting fires. The reason it was always made in sand stone was to grind the stone down to make it round. Cherokee people have been making marbles for many years and still make them that way today. There is a site on RUclips called Cherokee Traditions:.. Making Marbles and there you will see exactly what the stones with half spheres are.
In the southwest there are similar holes called cupuals used in "coming of age" ceremonies. The holes are smaller than your examples but the same random pattern. Could be something ceremonial that our or your speculation could not likely understand the symbolism. Happy hunting, consider bringing less stuff home. Much of archeological evidence comes from it's context in situ.
Just looked at a video as you suggested (Cherokee Traditions Making Marbles) Looks like the Indians know what these holes were used for which were passsed down through their traditions.
Mortars for grinding grain or acorns. There was also a pestle. The depressions are round because they rotated the pestle. They are all over, because they used them wherever they were. gathering nuts. You have to grind acorns to flour in order to leach out the tannic acid.
The Piute of Nevada ground mesquite beans with these things. Some are up to a liter in size, mostly in sandstone. In the summer, they collect pine nuts in the mountains.
Please explain your method of leaching tannin from acorn flour because every method I read so far calls for soaking the whole acorn in a stream or something.
I’m sure they served many purposes, but I always wondered if they were used as animal fat lamps. The smaller ones could’ve been portable; the larger ones with more holes might’ve been a pathway marker or used somewhere they needed more light. It drives me mad wondering. I’m sure all the elders are looking down on us and just laughing at our ignorance. 🤣
I am a reconstructive lithic Technologist. When researching pecked & ground tools I found that grinding Garnet, jasper and sand with a lot of quartzes in it to a powder served a important purpose. Holes used with a pestle to grind these salacious stones into dust can be applied to polish the bit ends of a chopping tool making it much harder. The molecular structure is pulled forward forming a welded bond at the bit. The process continues by impregnating dampened leather with the dust and continued rubbing. The bit end is now harder & will cut more effectively. Charcoal could be applied to bit ends performing like a lubricant. Certain research suggests that Egyptians polished their statues using a fine hard dust.
@@jimajello1028 me too. They called me a flintknapper. 15 year professional. Bipolar reduction. I enjoyed using that technique. Great for quartz pebbles.
@@lelandshanks3590 Leland, I teach and demonstrate stone tool making using organic materials. I have worked with archeologist researching Native American lifeways with the use of lithic & other organic materials. Currently replication and research on a dug out and burned canoe followed with publications on the project. Tks for asking.
Ancient people painted their faces, bodies, rock surfaces, cave walls, etc with different pigments. The multitude of holes held different colors. Today we get tatoo's and deface flat surfaces with different colors of grafiti.
I have about 50 of these stones myself. The use of them is multipurpose. Around here (Ohio) there were hickory and white oak trees everyplace. So I have no doubt some were used for cracking nuts. If they were used as Flint napping tools or anvils, I would have found micro flint blades or debitage in the area, but its never present. The smaller ones, about the size of your hand or fist were used as a bow drill cap. Making it easier to stabilize the spindle when using a bow drill. The pitted stones here have two different size holes in them like the ones you have. There are black walnut trees here also, and I noticed about 20 yrs ago that some pitted stones have pits large like walnuts and other have small pits like acorns. I.M.O...Most were used in the processing of nuts and grains. (05:49) This stone I'm pretty sure is a stone billet. Most likely it was wrapped in sinew or treated hide to protect it from chipping or breaks, this is the reason for the impact marks on the end that you point out. You only have part of what it used to be. I have a couple, but mine are made of sugar quartz. I have a video on my channel about a stone billet that has writing on it if you're interested. Also I wanted to add that most of the pitted stones that are found here are made of very hard stone like pink granite. I also have a short video of me finding one near a pond that is dried up now but I still find artifacts around it. I.M.O.... Anvil stone just means a rock to pound things on or against. If you use one for working flint, you would use it to stop the billets strike to insure more precision. I have a couple with firing that has turned them red. My explanation for this that some were used to heat fat in a cup for the production of arrows and spears. Using the fat on the arrow bindings to water proof the wood before heat treating the shafts with fire (Grease Cups). Those are my thoughts on this topic. I been hunting artifacts for 50 yrs, and I used to wonder the same thing about the pitted stones. Just dont overthink it. The answer is most often the most obvious.
I read a scientific report regarding six nutting stones from East Texas that were examined for trace plant materials. In a "nut-shell" the report found that there were various microscopic plant remnants in the stone, however none were found of known edible varieties.
The shear number of them makes a person think it’s likely part of something they needed all the time. Meaning it wasn’t a once a year or month type activity but likely daily or weekly. It’s like one of those was an essential thing to have for a camp or group. Fascinating really!
They were new to making beer glasses so the bottoms were rounded. They needed some way to hold their beers. These were smaller so they were used for Pilsners.
This is what I was told as a kid. They were used to make marbles or beads. They would find a small stream or run and dam it up with rocks and mud. Then they would get a shaft of wood or cane that they could hollow out and make a pipe of sorts. Then they would situate the pipe into and through the dam so water would run through it. They would then place the nutting stone a foot or two under the trickle of water so that the water went right into the hole in the stone. They would get a small stone that was already roundish and place it into the hole where the water was trickling and the water would tumble the small rock and over time make it round like a marble or bead.
You can set them in your sink and then place a marble or roundish rock slightly smaller than the dimple in your "Nutting stone" then turn your spigot on and center the Nutting stone under the stream of water. It would eventually make a pretty close to perfectly round stone/marble. But how long would it take? That's a good question. @@cleggsadventures
@@cleggsadventures My modest understanding of archaeology suggests that hunter-gatherer societies had far more free time than their successors. Folks who had the skill to make useful tools from flint or Obsidian - not to mention the skill to drill holes in stone and shell beads - would be able to do this.
I live in Southern Arizona and have found dozens of these several of these in granite boulders that are within walking distance of my house. An archaeologist that I know looked at some pictures that I had taken, and he agreed that they were made by the primitive people, but he couldn't tell me what he thinks they were used for. The ones we have here are much bigger around and deeper, so being in the desert I thought they may be for collecting rain water, because during the monsoons here they fill up to the top. But that idea wouldn't work with your little stones and how small the holes are.
Two documented uses of these stone 'grids' in Southern Africa are 1. beadcrafting. Beads of different colours/shapes are placed in these containers while the piece is being worked on, so it acts as a kind of sorting device. Modern beadcrafters use trays with very similar depressions. They're generally found near 'home caves' or settlements. 2. Used for grinding and mixing pigments for rock painting.
You guys forget that they smoked a lot of wacky tobacco back then. Stoned a lot of days they would use these stones to make and crush down fine tobacco for the peace or war pipe. Pioneers long ago after seeing and finding many of these stones coined the term "being stoned". This is were that term came from. Also they look very similar to modern day plastic paint holders that i have today. So, in theory they had multiple uses for them.
I think the smaller hardstone ones are sockets for bow and drill fire starting or just drill use. I have a hand sized one that is very worn and polished in the hole and also on the side of it where I assume the wooden spindle and bow string were rubbing against it. They also apparently used slightly larger ones too by leaning over and applying pressure with the chest to keep the spindle drill shaft firmly in place while using them.
I just got done reading a book called Ohio's Archaeology by Bradley Leper that said they were potentially used for some sort of step in the woodworking process for making canoes, and possibly early shelters as well. I think they used these nutting stones to store their embers for safe transport in their controlled burns of creating canoes. That's why ya find them along the waterways so much. I also read in the same book that there’s evidence of Archaic people using controlled burns to eliminate the threat of wildfires, and to propagate fire-resistant trees that bore edible foods. So they were probably transporting tons of embers for tons of different processes all the time. Also.... GREAT VIDEO CLEGG!! Thank you for releasing it, it's always a good day when you upload :)
@@axeman33333 I totally agree with ya, I think they would use the larger stones in the canoe making process by propping up a log, and filling those holes with slow burning embers underneath it, doing so they were able to basically smoke out the log and make it easier to hollow out. But who knows , thats the beautiful thing about ancient history, it has a way of tickling everyones imagination! I have enjoyed reading the theories in the comments here.
If they were for breaking nuts, I would imagine they would miss from time to time and rough up the edges , leaving obvious marks. Even being hit with a piece wood would leave an impression of use. Very puzzling indeed. Maybe a women's make-up kit..lol
For sure, I don’t buy the nut theory. The pigment holder has been said by a few, so maybe something to that. I do find a lot of rubbed and ground hematite
Because of your videos, i found myself out in a no till bean field an hour south of Chicago last week. I found a scraper, a half of an arrowhead, a possible firestone, and possibly a rock like this with a hole. Can i email you some pics for id ? Either way Thanks ✌️
Here's a theory...these were anvil blocks. One on top one on bottom of an arrow length shaft. The stock piece of lumber was spun by bow string method. As the spinning shaft is spun, a warrior would shave the stock in order to perfectly round the shaft. Obsidian or some other hard blade would be the lathe tool.
I have similar marks in the sandstone all over our property where we live in eastern Tn. An archeologist told me pre American Indian people, maybe Clovis, ground these divots, lined the divots with grease to collect rain water. We live about 2000 feet up, on top of a knob. The divots are about 8 inches in diameter and have a cascading pattern sloping down large sandstone slabs. There are no rivers or streams near this altitude. Because the property is surrounded by 50 to 60 foot cliffs it is very defensible with caves and other natural shelters. Several Clovis spear points have been found in this area, and are completely different from American Indian spear points.
@@cleggsadventures It's an interesting thought though - but there's none of the usual discoloration on the stone you usually see on firestones. Plus sandstone has a bad tendency of cracking/exploding when exposed to too much heat. Still it doesn't mean that warming it up by keeping it near the fire would do either? BTW, I returned from where my sister resides. I wasn't able to do any real searching for artifacts as their entire region is dealing with some abnormal flooding. I was able to see, in some of the seasonal waterways, the type of soil I could expect to find. Lots of sand over top of mud. The local stone seems to be almost wholly sandstone save for glacial deposited cobbles. My sister did show me some flakes of flint or chert which they'd found in times passed so that's a good sign. Next time, maybe. She wants my family to relocate to the region & after visiting I can put up few arguments against it!
@@RyanRohl i've seen some of your grandmothas "egg rocks" so big it would take a crane to lift them, or a pipe driller to go under them to "place" the fire underneath them.
This is really interesting. My ancestors lived near Barrackville, Marion Cty, WV in the late 18th century. I found a YT video showing that property (which excited me no end) which also contained similar stones. Thanks for all of your videos. Cheers from MINN.
It seems since all the holes are relatively shallow, it provided easy access to whatever was in them, which would explain why there were so many created, so as not to drill/chip any further into the rock.
Makes you wonder why they made several holes at the same depth… like the depth was the issues so they started another hole… then it becomes too deep… hmm.
Were that the case, wouldn’t there be pigment residue to find in them, or would water and other forms of environmental erosion have worn that away by now?
@@andydaniels3029 I think these are mostly Archaic period, not sure if it would still be in there. I guess it depends on what conditions it was laying in for all those years
The large deep holes were mostly used for grinding grains, mesquite beans, etc. The shallow ones I'm not as sure of, but the pestels were found near the grain grinding mortars. The little shallow depressions might have been used for grinding something. I've seen enough of the deeper holes with the grinding stones here in the Southwest Desert at the cliff dwelling sites.
Great channel! Man I love the content on this channel. Scott - I have zero idea. LOL But if I was throwing random guesses out there.... What about tent pole bases. For lean-toos / teepee type structures or what not? Even the multiple holes... could move your pole around until you got it right. ?? Or how about the sides of a cooking pit... using them for spits to fit into to? I guess if that were the case... then perhaps there would be grooves heading down to the poles - at least on left or right hand side of a spit. ?? Or even the base of a fire-starting mechanism. LOL Probably dumb ideas. I agree - could be multiple uses.
Modern ppl forget about the decimation of the American chestnut in the 1930’s. Chestnuts fed ancient ppl and mega fauna for thousands of years. This nutting stones were used mostly for chestnut but other nuts as well
It’s so crazy that our woods used to look so much cooler, giant beautiful trees, they even made homes in the stumps, I heard they used that wood for your cradle and your coffin and everything in between. And then poof they’re gone, now it’s all small trees, completely different landscape and culture, just one person ago our forests used to be a paradise. Now I have to go to the redwoods to experience that
@@cleggsadventures Sometimes I like to think when I pick up an artifact, especially one made from some type of material not native to my area, that someone I never saw, made something important from some material I’ve never found that came from somewhere I’ve never seen, and easily might’ve carried it up a giant tree I’ll never see, and this entirely different world used to exist that I’ll never see, but there’s an artifact laying before me.
I the Boy Scouts a few of us actually made bread from Acorns. Grind up the nuts to a mash, put it in a cheese cloth, leach out the tannin. Bake it. Put honey or berries over the flat bread.
The holes are for making Cherokee marbles. The shell idea was a good one, but I’ve tried it out making primitive pottery with wild Clay. I found out that if you roast the shells on the coals, they just crumble in your hands and you don’t have to crush them up. also, I found out that after you fire the pottery if the shells have just been crushed and not roasted, the pottery, just kind of falls apart the next day, because the shells go ahead and get fibrous and come apart inside the clay.
@@cleggsadventures I don’t know. That’s a good question. I might try to make a Cherokee marble and see if it works. Maybe that would answer why they use so many holes.if that’s what they were for?
@@cleggsadventures As far as I know, we don’t have those kind of rocks with those kind of holes in Oklahoma. We have nutting stones. but they’re usually associated with a rock outcrop by a stream. Or a grinding stone that has just slight indentions in it just enough to keep the nut from rolling off and the ones I’ve seen are red rock, which is sandstone because that’s what we have here.
In coastal California we rarely ever find arrowheads, perhaps because ancient man had so much easy access to seal and other animal bones, but I have seen these artifacts many times often clustered into VERTICAL stone and rock surfaces, almost as if they are the result or aid of some type of target practice .
It might be used to grind shells into beads, or to grind shell into fish hooks. Depending on the size of the bead or hook, they could go from big to little, or possibly be used to bore holes into beads or fishnet weights.
Ancient people used different substances as decoration during rituals. I guess you would call it warpaint. Ochres and chalks would need need to be ground and mix with a fat or fluid to make paints, for decorating themselves, and for paintings.
I believe that they were used for several different things during their lives. For nuts, herbs, shells possibily, an just about anything they needed to grind up for their uses. Great video my friend. 😁👍👍
They have proven the white marble Greek statues were once colorfully painted because they have special light that can detect painted pigments left behind on the marble. Sandstone would def hold pigments, that would be easily proven if it were for paints by scientific analysis.
For those with multiple holes, it was likely the removed material itself that was needed for another purpose. It might have been a practical way to get uniform, pure material for pottery temper, paint pigment, or grinding sand. Once a hole reached a certain size removal became too difficult so they would start a new hole. For small stones they would just turn the stone over, thus a hole on both sides. They would peck the stone and then grind the fragments in the hole, thus the evidence of pecking marks. The hole would keep the removed material together. Stones with a single hole might not fall into this use classification.
Used for ceremonial prep of some hallucinogen? Peyote? Toad skin? Multiple holes for group ceremonies? Flip side hole for after “passing thhrough to the other side?
War paints, etc...like a watercolor mixing tray. The nut theory is good though, if made to the proper depth for the type of nut, it would prevent the inner nut from being smashed which would go bad faster and be harder to store and eat. The multiple holes were probaby different sizes for different size nuts? Who knows?
In northern Italy in some prehistoric sites there are a lot of these semi-holes in the rock, the guide called them 'coppelle' which in means something like 'small cups'. The explanatioin offered was that they had some ritualistic purpose, but it's just an hypothesis; they were clearly man-made being surrounded by many other incisions clearly representing animals and rudimental human figures.
These were actually used as bowling balls, hence the finger and thumb indentations. It wasn't until eons later that one bright enterprising fellow thought to make them into a round ball shape.
I do think that the pecking surfaces were for small seeds. When you have larger seeds like wheat you can afford to use a grinding plate. But small seeds would be difficult to keep local and process. As for hematite, they also ground manganese. They may not have necessarily made paint in these. So, for me, minerals, small seeds… but everything would be difficult to manage in a larger mortar.
There are ancient stones found in Ireland and Scotland which have small holes like this. These stones are highly decorated with carved spirals and swirls, but it is not clear if all the carving was done at the same time.
I think they are marker stones used to communicate something, like a stone age street sign. It was the only method of making a permanent and hard to alter mark.
I have a friend in Africa and the first thing he said well that is a good question. And then he says possibly for Spiritual reasons😊 I think if a hole is deep enough you could put a stick in there and then then place a skull on top of the Stick of the enemy you just killed😮 to scare off other enemies😮
They were used for grinding Mary Jane seeds so they could be smoked and wouldn't fall out and burn their shirt. Most Cave Men could only afford one shirt and they didn't want a bunch of burn holes in it from the seeds. I heard stories about this in college, but have no personal experience with it. There was another similar story I heard back in the 1970's, something about Mary Jane brownies, but I can't remember the details. Great story Gregg!
Stone Age People Liked Bread too. those are used for nuts grains and makes a grinding area.. tasty past and good for stew or meats. we still do this..with a mortar and pestle in homes..
These rocks were the starting process for making a mortar, they made the small holes first before heavy pecking began to eliminate rock fracture. Love your videos brother.
Native Americans used a variety of medicinal plants and substances that often required grinding using tools like mortars and pestles. Near the Ohio River, tribes such as the Shawnee, Miami, and others used local plants for medicinal purposes. Common practices included grinding herbs, roots, and seeds to create powders or pastes for treating ailments. Some examples of plants that might have been ground include: - Willow bark: Used for its pain-relieving properties, similar to modern aspirin. - Echinacea: Used for boosting the immune system and treating infections. - Ginseng: Used as a general tonic and to improve energy. These practices were integral to their healthcare and spiritual rituals, and grinding tools like mortars and pestles were essential for preparing these remedies.
I can see the hole as a way to make pressure flaking easier. First a bit of leather was laying over the hole than folded over the point. Than a bit of flat wood over that held fast by one hand. Antler is able to push flakes under the flint as it is held secure between the leather. Also any other applications that a person could think of. Little ones are just more portable. Leave the big ones in camp. And you know they cracked nuts in there too. A true stone age multi tool, or work bench if you want.
Maybe It's a tool that helps create and bend a Bow for the Bow strings? It is hard to place a Bow string for Bows and Arrows that hunt wild game. Bow string wedge.
That's the thing about mr Teaches the Children and his stoneworking classes. Everyone got as far as making a hole in the rock, then moved on to more useful classes like buckskin - making moccasins and woodworking - making an arrow. Granny can still point to the hole she made, just like mine.
I have a few ideas but I think someone has beat me to the first one: Pigment grinding. It would explain the multiple holes - they didn't want to get the different colors mixed up from the stones they crushed and then ground fine. It also would explain the rough sandstone, since that is a great material for grinding things into a powder with versus a smoother textured rock. Also small holes are better than large for this action because a little pigment went a long way so they only needed something to hold a bit of it like a painter's pallet. I cannot explain why there are often holes on other sides of the rocks adequately, though. Only other ideas I had were they might have been used in combination with a branch or antler for spinning bow strings or cloth, or for using a bow drill. Even though sandstone is really rough, it is also much easier to "peck" a hole into with a harder rock than most other stones (Which might explain the fact they seem to have been pecked out initially rather than ground in), and they could have used bark or leaves or mud or fat or who knows what in the holes as a lubricant so the sandstone didn't wear out the tools they may have used in these holes for sockets as quickly or harshly. The funniest thing is, if we could go back in time and see first hand why they did this, it would probably be glaringly obvious and just doesn't occur to us now because we live so differently! We'd probably be shaking our heads wondering why we didn't think of it. This is a fascinating topic, Clegg! Thanks for sharing what you know! P.S. Then I found this! It's awfully darn convincing that this is the true origin of these stones!: ruclips.net/video/n9l2Z4o9yTg/видео.html I've even seen an episode where you found quite a few native game balls yourself!
You start a fire using these stones by putting your tinder in the hole and using your stick, hand or bow, against it. Once you have a hot enough ember you move it to your tinder bundle and breathe on it to cause ignition. That wood explain why there are so many.
How that would help, potentially, with cracking nuts is, you could hit one without smashing it, leaving the edible part intact. You need a flat rock as your tool that has a greater area than the top of the cup
No, the stick would have one end in the hole, the bow wound on it to spin, and another stick with a half moon bite to allow friction with the starter stick. Not saying this is what they are, could be a classifier for rice husks, no clue, just saying it would work.
Are they working bone in the holes? Breaking a favorite knuckle bone for marrow? Just a thought. Prototyping a wheel? A bowling or throwing game? I had a stone that wasn't flat on the stone hearth of my mom/dad's house, and it would rock on one side. I could trap a walnut in a depression of the hearth and perfectly crack the walnut with a great consistency. If a hard shelled nut was put in the hole and another stone rocked over it with to little too high of profile to the nut, it might do the same thing. Like if you needed to break a walnut perfectly while it's standing on end. Any native nuts in the area? The nuts would need to have a profile sticking up about the thickness of the shell. Some of that stone might be soft enough that it would erode from working a hard wood on it.
In California we have Indian Grinding Stones state park, although they may use a slightly more politically correct name now. Holes in limestone used for making flour from acorns. The limestone probably added a little calcium to the flour. There are grinding stones in granite also, at higher elevations, if limestone is not available. A stone pestle would have been used. The holes tend to be fairly deep and not egg cup sized like the ones in your video.
The grindstone also can sometimes be found in the cup. They would wear together, so the grinder would be left in its perfectly fitted hole. Many desert fruits and seeds could be eaten. Prickly pear seeds for instance can be made into meal for cooking.
Are they used as a pivot point bearing to move large objects. Place a pebble in hole top or bottom or both. Holes close to one another will help find the optimal position.
One should consider they did not have any of the modern technics of today, they were learning and modified a lot of tools, which in time , became our modern tools, so one should be thinking about the beginning of how they started to modify items for good use for living.
You have failed to mention that these stones have also been found with nuts. Previous to Europeans introducing both horse and firearms to native Americans a large part of the diet was nuts and berries. Hunting was dangerous and unnecessary during times of plenty. Just because it was used for one thing does not mean it could be used for another.
Similar stones with holes can be found at neolitic sites across Europe. The purposes are still debated. They may have been used for small fire sacrifices or as 'candles' (lighting oil or grease filled into the indention) during rituals.
The one with all the holes was definitely a deviled egg tray used at cave parties prior to the existence of Tupperware.
Must be a long lost brother-in-law ..he always brought deviled eggs
Whoa dude thanks that's the funniest thing I read in a very long time, Just cracked me up for like a minute of chuckling.
It's not the worst theory...
My first thought.
good one, sounds good to me
Those half rounded holes were for making Marbles. Native Americans played many types of games and they played Marbles of different sizes. They weren't nutting stones, or for starting fires. The reason it was always made in sand stone was to grind the stone down to make it round. Cherokee people have been making marbles for many years and still make them that way today. There is a site on RUclips called Cherokee Traditions:.. Making Marbles and there you will see exactly what the stones with half spheres are.
Yeah, I watched that video as well. Don’t think it’s the same
In the southwest there are similar holes called cupuals used in "coming of age" ceremonies. The holes are smaller than your examples but the same random pattern. Could be something ceremonial that our or your speculation could not likely understand the symbolism. Happy hunting, consider bringing less stuff home. Much of archeological evidence comes from it's context in situ.
@@karlbarros2849 All this is already eroded from the bank.
I was thinking along the same lines. For shaping game balls.
Just looked at a video as you suggested (Cherokee Traditions Making Marbles) Looks like the Indians know what these holes were used for which were passsed down through their traditions.
Mortars for grinding grain or acorns. There was also a pestle. The depressions are round because they rotated the pestle. They are all over, because they used them wherever they were. gathering nuts. You have to grind acorns to flour in order to leach out the tannic acid.
This is the correct answer!
Yes and they used a method for removing the crushed shell while mixing with water
The Piute of Nevada ground mesquite beans with these things. Some are up to a liter in size, mostly in sandstone. In the summer, they collect pine nuts in the mountains.
Please get one or buy something similar and demonstrate.
Please explain your method of leaching tannin from acorn flour because every method I read so far calls for soaking the whole acorn in a stream or something.
maybe they were used for grinding hematite and mixing paint. The holes acted as little paint cups.
This is a popular theory
I would expect some to have a bit of the paint left over.
@@comfortablynumb9342for 600 years? Lol
@@brandonerickson3935 there's still paint on stones from the pyramids.
@@brandonerickson3935. Yes, even for 6,000 years.
They were used to make mini corn muffins for Thanksgiving celebrations!🦃
I’m sure they served many purposes, but I always wondered if they were used as animal fat lamps. The smaller ones could’ve been portable; the larger ones with more holes might’ve been a pathway marker or used somewhere they needed more light.
It drives me mad wondering. I’m sure all the elders are looking down on us and just laughing at our ignorance. 🤣
Yeah, I bet it’s something so simple
You should do an experi.ent with that animal fat lamp idea....light would be something invaluable at the time and a lamp makes things so much easier
I am a reconstructive lithic Technologist. When researching pecked & ground tools I found that grinding Garnet, jasper and sand with a lot of quartzes in it to a powder served a important purpose. Holes used with a pestle to grind these salacious stones into dust can be applied to polish the bit ends of a chopping tool making it much harder. The molecular structure is pulled forward forming a welded bond at the bit. The process continues by impregnating dampened leather with the dust and continued rubbing. The bit end is now harder & will cut more effectively. Charcoal could be applied to bit ends performing like a lubricant. Certain research suggests that Egyptians polished their statues using a fine hard dust.
I’ve not heard this theory before
@jimajello1028 do you work with archeologist, or museums?
@@jimajello1028 me too. They called me a flintknapper. 15 year professional. Bipolar reduction. I enjoyed using that technique. Great for quartz pebbles.
@@jimajello1028 very interesting, I think that makes sense. I have wondered about the polishing of stones and this seems plausible.
@@lelandshanks3590 Leland, I teach and demonstrate stone tool making using organic materials. I have worked with archeologist researching Native American lifeways with the use of lithic & other organic materials. Currently replication and research on a dug out and burned canoe followed with publications on the project. Tks for asking.
Ancient people painted their faces, bodies, rock surfaces, cave walls, etc with different pigments. The multitude of holes held different colors. Today we get tatoo's and deface flat surfaces with different colors of grafiti.
speculation....always good
There would be some paint left in some of them I would think.
I have about 50 of these stones myself. The use of them is multipurpose. Around here (Ohio) there were hickory and white oak trees everyplace. So I have no doubt some were used for cracking nuts. If they were used as Flint napping tools or anvils, I would have found micro flint blades or debitage in the area, but its never present. The smaller ones, about the size of your hand or fist were used as a bow drill cap. Making it easier to stabilize the spindle when using a bow drill. The pitted stones here have two different size holes in them like the ones you have. There are black walnut trees here also, and I noticed about 20 yrs ago that some pitted stones have pits large like walnuts and other have small pits like acorns. I.M.O...Most were used in the processing of nuts and grains. (05:49) This stone I'm pretty sure is a stone billet. Most likely it was wrapped in sinew or treated hide to protect it from chipping or breaks, this is the reason for the impact marks on the end that you point out. You only have part of what it used to be. I have a couple, but mine are made of sugar quartz. I have a video on my channel about a stone billet that has writing on it if you're interested. Also I wanted to add that most of the pitted stones that are found here are made of very hard stone like pink granite. I also have a short video of me finding one near a pond that is dried up now but I still find artifacts around it. I.M.O.... Anvil stone just means a rock to pound things on or against. If you use one for working flint, you would use it to stop the billets strike to insure more precision. I have a couple with firing that has turned them red. My explanation for this that some were used to heat fat in a cup for the production of arrows and spears. Using the fat on the arrow bindings to water proof the wood before heat treating the shafts with fire (Grease Cups). Those are my thoughts on this topic. I been hunting artifacts for 50 yrs, and I used to wonder the same thing about the pitted stones. Just dont overthink it. The answer is most often the most obvious.
I think the little ones with the oblong stones were small because they were portable. You could take them on a trip.
As well as anchor stones for a tripod boiling pot.
I like the fat melting idea
Thank you!
My papa said they found 8 of them around the base of one black walnut tree, but hey Scott I agree they had multiple uses.
I think so too, too many different styles to be one thing
They probably grind out the hole to keep the walnut still
@@mannurse7421 would save smashing little fingers. I imagine the young ones helped crack nuts. Everyone helped in someway, even children.
I've found a few, could never figure it out, except that they were at village sites
I read a scientific report regarding six nutting stones from East Texas that were examined for trace plant materials. In a "nut-shell" the report found that there were various microscopic plant remnants in the stone, however none were found of known edible varieties.
I’ve not read this before.
I tend to agree they're used to process the acorns. cracking open, then crushing them into a powder before cooking the tannins out.
I would love to know what kind of non edible plant fibers were found in the holes.
The shear number of them makes a person think it’s likely part of something they needed all the time. Meaning it wasn’t a once a year or month type activity but likely daily or weekly. It’s like one of those was an essential thing to have for a camp or group. Fascinating really!
Yes, I feel the same. Had to be a pretty common task to be so many
@@cleggsadventures please how can I get in touch with you to share info?
They were new to making beer glasses so the bottoms were rounded. They needed some way to hold their beers. These were smaller so they were used for Pilsners.
Yet killin me!😂🤣😂🤣
@@Diogenes425 You'll be fine-
This is what I was told as a kid. They were used to make marbles or beads. They would find a small stream or run and dam it up with rocks and mud. Then they would get a shaft of wood or cane that they could hollow out and make a pipe of sorts. Then they would situate the pipe into and through the dam so water would run through it. They would then place the nutting stone a foot or two under the trickle of water so that the water went right into the hole in the stone. They would get a small stone that was already roundish and place it into the hole where the water was trickling and the water would tumble the small rock and over time make it round like a marble or bead.
Seems complicated.
You can set them in your sink and then place a marble or roundish rock slightly smaller than the dimple in your "Nutting stone" then turn your spigot on and center the Nutting stone under the stream of water. It would eventually make a pretty close to perfectly round stone/marble. But how long would it take? That's a good question. @@cleggsadventures
@@cleggsadventures My modest understanding of archaeology suggests that hunter-gatherer societies had far more free time than their successors. Folks who had the skill to make useful tools from flint or Obsidian - not to mention the skill to drill holes in stone and shell beads - would be able to do this.
They would be polished inside if that were the case and they're not.
Yeah deffinatly the inside the hole would show evidence great thought though it made me think. Maybe they even did this some times
I live in Southern Arizona and have found dozens of these several of these in granite boulders that are within walking distance of my house. An archaeologist that I know looked at some pictures that I had taken, and he agreed that they were made by the primitive people, but he couldn't tell me what he thinks they were used for.
The ones we have here are much bigger around and deeper, so being in the desert I thought they may be for collecting rain water, because during the monsoons here they fill up to the top. But that idea wouldn't work with your little stones and how small the holes are.
Two documented uses of these stone 'grids' in Southern Africa are 1. beadcrafting. Beads of different colours/shapes are placed in these containers while the piece is being worked on, so it acts as a kind of sorting device. Modern beadcrafters use trays with very similar depressions. They're generally found near 'home caves' or settlements. 2. Used for grinding and mixing pigments for rock painting.
Tobacco grinding? Herbal medicine grinding? Game board of some sort? I always thought they were used with a pestle to grind up something for eating.
Possible
@@cleggsadventuressounds much more possible than those other theorys lol
@@droidv1 there’s been some wild ones
Yes,corn grinder and acorn grinding.
They are remnants of campfire pastimes.
You guys forget that they smoked a lot of wacky tobacco back then. Stoned a lot of days they would use these stones to make and crush down fine tobacco for the peace or war pipe. Pioneers long ago after seeing and finding many of these stones coined the term "being stoned". This is were that term came from.
Also they look very similar to modern day plastic paint holders that i have today. So, in theory they had multiple uses for them.
@@FredFindersTreasures I don’t know
I think the smaller hardstone ones are sockets for bow and drill fire starting or just drill use. I have a hand sized one that is very worn and polished in the hole and also on the side of it where I assume the wooden spindle and bow string were rubbing against it. They also apparently used slightly larger ones too by leaning over and applying pressure with the chest to keep the spindle drill shaft firmly in place while using them.
I’ve heard this theory as well
Spot stretching leather or hides. Only practical thing I can think of.
A couple others have said the same
I grind holes in rocks like that just to relieve stress. 😅 ancient therapy 😂
It's where Fred and Barney stored their golf balls!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Another great and informative video. Best channel on RUclips
Much Appreciated Tim
I just got done reading a book called Ohio's Archaeology by Bradley Leper that said they were potentially used for some sort of step in the woodworking process for making canoes, and possibly early shelters as well. I think they used these nutting stones to store their embers for safe transport in their controlled burns of creating canoes. That's why ya find them along the waterways so much. I also read in the same book that there’s evidence of Archaic people using controlled burns to eliminate the threat of wildfires, and to propagate fire-resistant trees that bore edible foods. So they were probably transporting tons of embers for tons of different processes all the time. Also.... GREAT VIDEO CLEGG!! Thank you for releasing it, it's always a good day when you upload :)
Very Much Appreciated
With all due respect , I don’t think they would lug around those very heavy stones just to carry embers. Also way too shallow for that as well.
@@axeman33333 I totally agree with ya, I think they would use the larger stones in the canoe making process by propping up a log, and filling those holes with slow burning embers underneath it, doing so they were able to basically smoke out the log and make it easier to hollow out. But who knows , thats the beautiful thing about ancient history, it has a way of tickling everyones imagination! I have enjoyed reading the theories in the comments here.
@@axeman33333 I Agree
@@DoogiesEarthworks I don’t know, wouldn’t be much heat
If they were for breaking nuts, I would imagine they would miss from time to time and rough up the edges , leaving obvious marks. Even being hit with a piece wood would leave an impression of use.
Very puzzling indeed.
Maybe a women's make-up kit..lol
For sure, I don’t buy the nut theory.
The pigment holder has been said by a few, so maybe something to that. I do find a lot of rubbed and ground hematite
Because of your videos, i found myself out in a no till bean field an hour south of Chicago last week. I found a scraper, a half of an arrowhead, a possible firestone, and possibly a rock like this with a hole. Can i email you some pics for id ? Either way Thanks ✌️
Very Nice, find me on Facebook 👍
Here's a theory...these were anvil blocks. One on top one on bottom of an arrow length shaft. The stock piece of lumber was spun by bow string method. As the spinning shaft is spun, a warrior would shave the stock in order to perfectly round the shaft. Obsidian or some other hard blade would be the lathe tool.
I have similar marks in the sandstone all over our property where we live in eastern Tn. An archeologist told me pre American Indian people, maybe Clovis, ground these divots, lined the divots with grease to collect rain water. We live about 2000 feet up, on top of a knob. The divots are about 8 inches in diameter and have a cascading pattern sloping down large sandstone slabs. There are no rivers or streams near this altitude. Because the property is surrounded by 50 to 60 foot cliffs it is very defensible with caves and other natural shelters. Several Clovis spear points have been found in this area, and are completely different from American Indian spear points.
Or....could be various versions of prehistoric toe straighteners.
My grandma called them egg stones, said they were used for cooking eggs by the fire.
I’ve not heard this one before
@@cleggsadventures It's an interesting thought though - but there's none of the usual discoloration on the stone you usually see on firestones. Plus sandstone has a bad tendency of cracking/exploding when exposed to too much heat. Still it doesn't mean that warming it up by keeping it near the fire would do either?
BTW, I returned from where my sister resides. I wasn't able to do any real searching for artifacts as their entire region is dealing with some abnormal flooding. I was able to see, in some of the seasonal waterways, the type of soil I could expect to find. Lots of sand over top of mud. The local stone seems to be almost wholly sandstone save for glacial deposited cobbles. My sister did show me some flakes of flint or chert which they'd found in times passed so that's a good sign.
Next time, maybe. She wants my family to relocate to the region & after visiting I can put up few arguments against it!
@@RyanRohl i've seen some of your grandmothas "egg rocks" so big it would take a crane to lift them, or a pipe driller to go under them to "place" the fire underneath them.
I was thinking the same thing
@RyanRohl had a similar idea great thinking or Gma' knows best
I say they are toenail trimmers. Stick your toe in and grind the toe in half circle motions...
Antler dressing sounds like a good idea.
The OG multitool. They were probably used for multiple applications.
Possible for sure
This is really interesting. My ancestors lived near Barrackville, Marion Cty, WV in the late 18th century. I found a YT video showing that property (which excited me no end) which also contained similar stones. Thanks for all of your videos. Cheers from MINN.
Very Much Appreciated
It seems since all the holes are relatively shallow, it provided easy access to whatever was in them, which would explain why there were so many created, so as not to drill/chip any further into the rock.
@@Mark-vx5xm I was thinking along those lines. Seems when a hole got so deep, they had to start another one.
Makes you wonder why they made several holes at the same depth… like the depth was the issues so they started another hole… then it becomes too deep… hmm.
Maybe the stones with multiple where for paints they made so they could separate them and not mix the colors up
@@justyntheoutdoorsman6995 Possibly, I heard this theory as well.
Were that the case, wouldn’t there be pigment residue to find in them, or would water and other forms of environmental erosion have worn that away by now?
I like that.
@@andydaniels3029 I think these are mostly Archaic period, not sure if it would still be in there. I guess it depends on what conditions it was laying in for all those years
This was my initial thought 👍🏻.
More good stuff. I don't know about that new hat. That tour de France hat sure was snazzy 👍🔨
Much Appreciated! It’ll be back, The Tour is getting good. Mountains are starting to
The large deep holes were mostly used for grinding grains, mesquite beans, etc. The shallow ones I'm not as sure of, but the pestels were found near the grain grinding mortars.
The little shallow depressions might have been used for grinding something. I've seen enough of the deeper holes with the grinding stones here in the Southwest Desert at the cliff dwelling sites.
Had no idea you had that on your property. Watching fully.
Great channel! Man I love the content on this channel. Scott - I have zero idea. LOL But if I was throwing random guesses out there.... What about tent pole bases. For lean-toos / teepee type structures or what not? Even the multiple holes... could move your pole around until you got it right. ?? Or how about the sides of a cooking pit... using them for spits to fit into to? I guess if that were the case... then perhaps there would be grooves heading down to the poles - at least on left or right hand side of a spit. ?? Or even the base of a fire-starting mechanism. LOL Probably dumb ideas. I agree - could be multiple uses.
No dumb ideas, every guess is possible
Modern ppl forget about the decimation of the American chestnut in the 1930’s. Chestnuts fed ancient ppl and mega fauna for thousands of years. This nutting stones were used mostly for chestnut but other nuts as well
@@joeessig6955 Possibly, but chestnuts are pretty soft shelled. We may never know
It’s so crazy that our woods used to look so much cooler, giant beautiful trees, they even made homes in the stumps, I heard they used that wood for your cradle and your coffin and everything in between. And then poof they’re gone, now it’s all small trees, completely different landscape and culture, just one person ago our forests used to be a paradise. Now I have to go to the redwoods to experience that
@@ETAisNOWyep. Greatest ecological disaster in modern history that never gets talked about.
@@ETAisNOW I could imagine all the old growth trees there were. I doubt many were cut, having to use a stone axe
@@cleggsadventures Sometimes I like to think when I pick up an artifact, especially one made from some type of material not native to my area, that someone I never saw, made something important from some material I’ve never found that came from somewhere I’ve never seen, and easily might’ve carried it up a giant tree I’ll never see, and this entirely different world used to exist that I’ll never see, but there’s an artifact laying before me.
I the Boy Scouts a few of us actually made bread from Acorns. Grind up the nuts to a mash, put it in a cheese cloth, leach out the tannin. Bake it. Put honey or berries over the flat bread.
They are for grinding grain or pigments. They use a wood stick and grind the end into what they want to grind.
The holes are for making Cherokee marbles. The shell idea was a good one, but I’ve tried it out making primitive pottery with wild Clay. I found out that if you roast the shells on the coals, they just crumble in your hands and you don’t have to crush them up. also, I found out that after you fire the pottery if the shells have just been crushed and not roasted, the pottery, just kind of falls apart the next day, because the shells go ahead and get fibrous and come apart inside the clay.
I’ve seen this practice as well. Why so many holes all the same.
@@cleggsadventures I don’t know. That’s a good question. I might try to make a Cherokee marble and see if it works. Maybe that would answer why they use so many holes.if that’s what they were for?
@@oklahomanativeexploration7546 For sure. Experiments may reveal some answers
@@cleggsadventures As far as I know, we don’t have those kind of rocks with those kind of holes in Oklahoma. We have nutting stones. but they’re usually associated with a rock outcrop by a stream. Or a grinding stone that has just slight indentions in it just enough to keep the nut from rolling off and the ones I’ve seen are red rock, which is sandstone because that’s what we have here.
ruclips.net/video/n9l2Z4o9yTg/видео.htmlsi=SFB_6DjQ34HlSELG cherokee marble making
In coastal California we rarely ever find arrowheads, perhaps because ancient man had so much easy access to seal and other animal bones, but I have seen these artifacts many times often clustered into VERTICAL stone and rock surfaces, almost as if they are the result or aid of some type of target practice .
Interesting.
I’ve seen them in fixed stones as well
It might be used to grind shells into beads, or to grind shell into fish hooks. Depending on the size of the bead or hook, they could go from big to little, or possibly be used to bore holes into beads or fishnet weights.
Ancient people used different substances as decoration during rituals. I guess you would call it warpaint. Ochres and chalks would need need to be ground and mix with a fat or fluid to make paints, for decorating themselves, and for paintings.
I believe that they were used for several different things during their lives. For nuts, herbs, shells possibily, an just about anything they needed to grind up for their uses. Great video my friend. 😁👍👍
Very Much Appreciated Richard
I'm convinced it's for paints. You know, like reds and what not.
Several have said the same
They have proven the white marble Greek statues were once colorfully painted because they have special light that can detect painted pigments left behind on the marble. Sandstone would def hold pigments, that would be easily proven if it were for paints by scientific analysis.
But why are most pitted stones pitted on both sides? You only need one side if it's for paint.
different colors?
I could see these being used to grind/crush medicine from herbs and seeds. You would want multiple pockets to avoid cross contamination.
For those with multiple holes, it was likely the removed material itself that was needed for another purpose. It might have been a practical way to get uniform, pure material for pottery temper, paint pigment, or grinding sand. Once a hole reached a certain size removal became too difficult so they would start a new hole. For small stones they would just turn the stone over, thus a hole on both sides. They would peck the stone and then grind the fragments in the hole, thus the evidence of pecking marks. The hole would keep the removed material together. Stones with a single hole might not fall into this use classification.
Popular theory as well
We find these all over East Texas, too. No one knows their exact use, but I always enjoy finding them.
Same here
I found one in Camp County, East TX. That's my home.
a friend now passrd would chemacly extract what was in stones and pottery and could tell what they were used for..
@@lelonbond6682 What was the conclusion?
…………?!!?
Used for ceremonial prep of some hallucinogen? Peyote? Toad skin? Multiple holes for group ceremonies? Flip side hole for after “passing thhrough to the other side?
gritty sandstone is easy to drill into but if it was used for grinding food it might well end up with gritty food.
For crushing, but smaller for women hands and strength. My 2 cents.
Possibly 👍
War paints, etc...like a watercolor mixing tray. The nut theory is good though, if made to the proper depth for the type of nut, it would prevent the inner nut from being smashed which would go bad faster and be harder to store and eat. The multiple holes were probaby different sizes for different size nuts? Who knows?
Possible, we may never know
Used for crushing food. Stones, and plants for paint and other useful products that are used.
In northern Italy in some prehistoric sites there are a lot of these semi-holes in the rock, the guide called them 'coppelle' which in means something like 'small cups'. The explanatioin offered was that they had some ritualistic purpose, but it's just an hypothesis; they were clearly man-made being surrounded by many other incisions clearly representing animals and rudimental human figures.
A farmer in Doddridge
County (where the Giants roamed.) Told me they were for making cupcakes.😂
👍
These were actually used as bowling balls, hence the finger and thumb indentations. It wasn't until eons later that one bright enterprising fellow thought to make them into a round ball shape.
I have No idea
I do think that the pecking surfaces were for small seeds. When you have larger seeds like wheat you can afford to use a grinding plate. But small seeds would be difficult to keep local and process.
As for hematite, they also ground manganese. They may not have necessarily made paint in these.
So, for me, minerals, small seeds… but everything would be difficult to manage in a larger mortar.
We have such stones in southern Switzerland, my college professer studied these over many years and there are over 30 theories.
i have most of mine where the people had no pottery.
Very good clue there! Maybe not for crushing shell then.
There are ancient stones found in Ireland and Scotland which have small holes like this. These stones are highly decorated with carved spirals and swirls, but it is not clear if all the carving was done at the same time.
I love the way this spurred others to comment about what they thought. Good stuff. Still waiting for your dig with us. lol.
Yeah, these things get people talking. Everyone has a theory
I think they are marker stones used to communicate something, like a stone age street sign. It was the only method of making a permanent and hard to alter mark.
I have a friend in Africa and the first thing he said well that is a good question. And then he says possibly for Spiritual reasons😊 I think if a hole is deep enough you could put a stick in there and then then place a skull on top of the Stick of the enemy you just killed😮 to scare off other enemies😮
They were used for grinding Mary Jane seeds so they could be smoked and wouldn't fall out and burn their shirt.
Most Cave Men could only afford one shirt and they didn't want a bunch of burn holes in it from the seeds.
I heard stories about this in college, but have no personal experience with it.
There was another similar story I heard back in the 1970's, something about Mary Jane brownies, but I can't remember the details.
Great story Gregg!
Stone Age People Liked Bread too.
those are used for nuts grains and makes a grinding area..
tasty past and good for stew or meats.
we still do this..with a mortar and pestle in homes..
maybe they were trying to catch small game. Bird, rabbit, squirrel food, and a wooden trap. That would make sense.
Maybe for tanning (tannin, acorns) and softening, tapering rawhide, a sump for the paste and an anvil for the tool.
These rocks were the starting process for making a mortar, they made the small holes first before heavy pecking began to eliminate rock fracture. Love your videos brother.
Ancient Indians are reading this and laughing their arses off woo woo woo!
@@ChuckoMountain-fv9yj
I was just giving my opinion, I didn't know you had a PhD in douchebagary
Native Americans used a variety of medicinal plants and substances that often required grinding using tools like mortars and pestles. Near the Ohio River, tribes such as the Shawnee, Miami, and others used local plants for medicinal purposes. Common practices included grinding herbs, roots, and seeds to create powders or pastes for treating ailments.
Some examples of plants that might have been ground include:
- Willow bark: Used for its pain-relieving properties, similar to modern aspirin.
- Echinacea: Used for boosting the immune system and treating infections.
- Ginseng: Used as a general tonic and to improve energy.
These practices were integral to their healthcare and spiritual rituals, and grinding tools like mortars and pestles were essential for preparing these remedies.
I can see the hole as a way to make pressure flaking easier. First a bit of leather was laying over the hole than folded over the point. Than a bit of flat wood over that held fast by one hand. Antler is able to push flakes under the flint as it is held secure between the leather. Also any other applications that a person could think of. Little ones are just more portable. Leave the big ones in camp. And you know they cracked nuts in there too. A true stone age multi tool, or work bench if you want.
ThEn spells the word you want, not than. Pathetic.
That's where they stored their eggs! 😂😂😂
Maybe It's a tool that helps create and bend a Bow for the Bow strings? It is hard to place a Bow string for Bows and Arrows that hunt wild game. Bow string wedge.
That's the thing about mr Teaches the Children and his stoneworking classes. Everyone got as far as making a hole in the rock, then moved on to more useful classes like buckskin - making moccasins and woodworking - making an arrow. Granny can still point to the hole she made, just like mine.
Fire starter….they use fiber to catch the spark made by rolling the stick between you hands. Also antler grinder….
I have a few ideas but I think someone has beat me to the first one: Pigment grinding. It would explain the multiple holes - they didn't want to get the different colors mixed up from the stones they crushed and then ground fine. It also would explain the rough sandstone, since that is a great material for grinding things into a powder with versus a smoother textured rock. Also small holes are better than large for this action because a little pigment went a long way so they only needed something to hold a bit of it like a painter's pallet. I cannot explain why there are often holes on other sides of the rocks adequately, though. Only other ideas I had were they might have been used in combination with a branch or antler for spinning bow strings or cloth, or for using a bow drill. Even though sandstone is really rough, it is also much easier to "peck" a hole into with a harder rock than most other stones (Which might explain the fact they seem to have been pecked out initially rather than ground in), and they could have used bark or leaves or mud or fat or who knows what in the holes as a lubricant so the sandstone didn't wear out the tools they may have used in these holes for sockets as quickly or harshly. The funniest thing is, if we could go back in time and see first hand why they did this, it would probably be glaringly obvious and just doesn't occur to us now because we live so differently! We'd probably be shaking our heads wondering why we didn't think of it. This is a fascinating topic, Clegg! Thanks for sharing what you know!
P.S. Then I found this! It's awfully darn convincing that this is the true origin of these stones!:
ruclips.net/video/n9l2Z4o9yTg/видео.html
I've even seen an episode where you found quite a few native game balls yourself!
Mineral color stays on rock surfaces for a long time. See Lascaux Cave. That certainly was not the use.
Monos and matates for grinding corn and other foods.
Grind food to make the famous and much used staple "Pemmican"
Vettepilot
You can apply larger pressure, ie force per unit area, using a smaller mortar and pestle than a larger one.
Thanks, I'm quite interested in these kind of subjects. I've never heard of this archeological enigma.
Very common. I have a couple near my property, near a creek that still has acorn trees around it.
You start a fire using these stones by putting your tinder in the hole and using your stick, hand or bow, against it. Once you have a hot enough ember you move it to your tinder bundle and breathe on it to cause ignition. That wood explain why there are so many.
I think they used sandstone in the Ohio Valley as it was about the only strong durable material they had and could work.
How that would help, potentially, with cracking nuts is, you could hit one without smashing it, leaving the edible part intact. You need a flat rock as your tool that has a greater area than the top of the cup
Thank you for discussing your study of this. I believe archeologists often say some weird stuff.
They used these for grinding corn, acorns and other food. The pits were the equivalent of the mortar in "mortar and pestle".
No, the stick would have one end in the hole, the bow wound on it to spin, and another stick with a half moon bite to allow friction with the starter stick.
Not saying this is what they are, could be a classifier for rice husks, no clue, just saying it would work.
Are they working bone in the holes? Breaking a favorite knuckle bone for marrow? Just a thought.
Prototyping a wheel? A bowling or throwing game?
I had a stone that wasn't flat on the stone hearth of my mom/dad's house, and it would rock on one side. I could trap a walnut in a depression of the hearth and perfectly crack the walnut with a great consistency. If a hard shelled nut was put in the hole and another stone rocked over it with to little too high of profile to the nut, it might do the same thing. Like if you needed to break a walnut perfectly while it's standing on end. Any native nuts in the area? The nuts would need to have a profile sticking up about the thickness of the shell.
Some of that stone might be soft enough that it would erode from working a hard wood on it.
In California we have Indian Grinding Stones state park, although they may use a slightly more politically correct name now. Holes in limestone used for making flour from acorns. The limestone probably added a little calcium to the flour. There are grinding stones in granite also, at higher elevations, if limestone is not available. A stone pestle would have been used. The holes tend to be fairly deep and not egg cup sized like the ones in your video.
The grindstone also can sometimes be found in the cup. They would wear together, so the grinder would be left in its perfectly fitted hole. Many desert fruits and seeds could be eaten. Prickly pear seeds for instance can be made into meal for cooking.
Are they used as a pivot point bearing to move large objects. Place a pebble in hole top or bottom or both. Holes close to one another will help find the optimal position.
One should consider they did not have any of the modern technics of today, they were learning and modified a lot of tools, which in time , became our modern tools, so one should be thinking about the beginning of how they started to modify items for good use for living.
Natural 💧 made by nature.
You have failed to mention that these stones have also been found with nuts. Previous to Europeans introducing both horse and firearms to native Americans a large part of the diet was nuts and berries. Hunting was dangerous and unnecessary during times of plenty. Just because it was used for one thing does not mean it could be used for another.
Similar stones with holes can be found at neolitic sites across Europe. The purposes are still debated. They may have been used for small fire sacrifices or as 'candles' (lighting oil or grease filled into the indention) during rituals.
They sure do look like they were used for making the stone spheres for the cherokee marble game.
@@ianbruce6515 they’re not smooth. Was caused by a striking motion