North American, Midwestern United States, Ohio, Hamilton County, Eastern Woodland, Archaic Period, ca. 5000 to 1000 BCE. A fine bannerstone hand-carved from a gray banded slate. The stone is an elongated and ovoid shape with rounded tips on both ends, originally with more pointed tips, and this would be considered a "pick type" of bannerstone. The thick center is drilled completely through for suspension. The slate is polished to pleasingly tactile surface. Bannerstones of various sizes and shapes have been found across the eastern part of North America, but their use is not fully understood. They may have served as tools to aid in hunting and even perhaps served a symbolic function. Size: 4" L x 1" W (10.2 cm x 2.5 cm)

Bannerstones remain an archaeological mystery. For many years, inspired by research done by a former physicist, archaeologists believed that bannerstones were used as weights to give atlatls greater power and control. Later experimental archaeology proved that this was not true - but did open up the possibility that the bannerstone helped with fatigue when holding an atlatl still, while stalking skittish prey like deer. However, their elaborate designs, and some examples that are too large to have ever been useful, suggest that they also had a ritualistic purpose.

Provenance: private Kansas City, Missouri, USA collection, ex-John Townsend collection, formed in the 1970s and earlier.

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#162009

Find site and inventory number written on surface. Age and use expected wear and weathering with surface scratches and abrasions. Chips to both tips. Otherwise intact with nice banding.