wooly mammoth butt plug

I suppose they were like a bear and dispelled those After hibernation?

Now Pcr2 everyone knows that would be a sheep !

And not the small sheep like now...but a Mammoth Sheep

You might be onto something I tasted both and they are nearly identical.

Depending on the type of rock it looks more like a chisel.

All those stone works in the south west and further south, they didn't have iron tools when they made them.

Paper weight used by chiefs. Once they developed the weight, then came Indian papers. Elizabeth Warren has Indian papers.

Pictures are always tough.

Based on what I'm seeing, it does not look like an artifact. With the exception of the one event on the end, the entire object appears to be covered in cortex. There are no signs of wear or edgework.

If anyone ever wants to talk artifacts sometime, please send me a PM. I have put a lot of time and sweat into avocational archaeology. I would be particularly interested in comparing notes from MN, WI, IA, SD, ND.

This^^^

Historically used to sedate a pig before you castrated it!

Hahaha Leroy!

I believe that would be a Cro-magnum - baculum.

I don't buy into the whole its just a rock comment that pops up every time in these threads. My guess is it was for something even if we don't know what it was doesn't make it just a rock.

Its cool. I'd keep it too. Give you something to figure out.

give him a 20 for it then

For anybody interested in learning....which I know isn't necessarily everyone.

I mentioned my determination of whether or not it is an artifact. Trying to determine if an object is "just a rock" is not a valid argument. Obviously, most potential artifacts with be stone or lithic categorized material. The qualifiers that make it an artifact that has been worked and manipulated by human hands are what provide answers. This maybe seems technical and picky, but it is technically the way this works.

There are certainly times where a rock or stone was no doubt carried to a particular location by human hands. This almost always means that it needs to be found on an occupied site. Generally, the context or provenance of where an object was found then becomes important. If the object in this post was found on say a well-known site, then that object does adopt a slightly different level of interest. The absence of any alteration, however, prevents it from being definitively categorized as an artifact. Also, these "maybe/maybe not" items would almost definitely not be found alone and in the absence of other evidence of occupation.

Material type can be another variable. Certain materials were specifically traded and used for tools and points. A core or spall of material like this can then also become extremely valuable in qualifying it as an artifact. The pic almost makes this material possibly look like a chert or something similar which peaks my interest slightly. It does appear to be covered in original cortex, which means it was not altered by humans into that shape. I have no knowledge of materials outside of those found on sites in the Midwest. I don't know much about that state either. So I'm not being totally definitive.

I just don't see any evidence of alteration by man in these pictures. Also, what would it have been used for and could you personally use it for that reason too? What would you use it for? These questions usually disqualify these "maybe" rocks too. If it were ground, rubbed, used, etc,...it would definitely show thousands of years later. Like I mentioned, the context as far as how these finds relate to other objects nearby then becomes the next step in determining what it is or isn't.

These are just some things I learned through years of finding and cataloging artifacts to be worthy of someday contributing to the archeological record. Send me a message if you want to talk.

(Side note: Should you think you have found, or know you have found an artifact, it is extremely important to write down where it was found and make sure this information stays with the object. This is to provide the provenance described above.)

It certainly could have been ground down to make it the shape it is. As far as knowing what they were doing with it, they would have jobs to do that they fully understood but we don't.

Very cool post. Thank you.

Lactose free

1/ 1024 th indian artifact

its indian toilet paper now go wash your hands.