Artifact of the Week: Shaft Straightener
The shaft straightener was used to gently bend prepared and heated wooden sticks to create an arrow shaft that would fly true. It is a flattened round stone with a groove pecked in the flat surface. To create that groove,…
Artifact of the Week: Polishing Stones
Pottery first appears in the archaeological record during the Late Holocene. The people of the Late Prehistoric Tradition made pots to store water, foodstuffs, and personal items. The pottery was created with the coiling technique, and the polishing stones were…
Artifact of the Week: Discoidal
These almost perfectly round tools indicate sophisticated technology. The exact use of these tools is unknown, although suggestions have included games, ceremonial uses, and weights. They do not appear to have been used for grinding foodstuffs or other material. They…
Artifact of the Week: Olla
This pot was discovered in Cleveland National Forest in 1968. Bees had created a hive above it and the beeswax dripped on the pot. The pot had a rock “lid” on top of it when it was found. At some…