Polished and Ground Stone Objects

Few objects of polished stone were found. One large celt (Fig. 12, I) is

from the surface. It is symmetrically ovate, 17.5 cm. long, 7.5 cm.

wide, and 3.8 cm. thick. It shows pecking marks on the faces, but is

well ground at the bit and along the edges. A triangular hard sandstone

pebble, 7.5 × 7 × 3.3 cm., has round pits, 3 cm. in diameter, on each

face, (Fig. 12, E). There are smooth depressions on two edges. A large

pitted mortar stone is of ferruginous sandstone, 22 × 16 cm. One face

has an oval depression, 13 × 12 cm., in the center of which, and on the

opposite face, are deep hemispherical pits, 3.5 cm. in diameter.

An oval-shaped hammerstone (Fig. 12, J) of tan chert is smoothed on two

faces, roughened by pecking around all edges. A whetstone of brown

sandstone (Fig. 12, F) has one deep and two shallow grooves on one face,

two grooves on the opposite.

A rectangular flat tablet of mottled brown slate (Fig. 12, A) was found

during the burial excavations but not in direct association. It is 6 cm.

long, 4.5 cm. wide, and 3.5 mm. thick. The faces are polished and the

edges ground smooth with rounded corners, but there are no decorations

or perforations.

A bead of gray and brown banded slate (Fig. 12, B) was found on the

surface of Hill 1. It is pear-shaped, 9 mm. long, 12 mm. wide,

counter-drilled and highly polished. A small perforated sandstone

concretion (Fig. 12, D) may have been used as a bead, but the

perforation seems to be natural, and the surfaces are not modified.

An oval, reddish claystone concretion was found on the surface. It is 12

× 6.5 cm., and 2.7 cm. thick. The hard cortex had been removed, exposing

the soft ocher, which was a probable source of paint.

The Smithport Landing Site: An Alto Focus Component in De Soto Parish, Louisiana · 第 26 / 36 题