Suspected artifact reclassified as a ROCK!

[Scorpion68]

My post is in response to Igotideas' post of 4/21/2016. Some years ago I posted a pic of an item that I was convinced was an artifact for two very good reasons. #1 - I found the item in the area where I have recovered numerous points and the area is littered with lithic material. #2 - the item fit my hand perfectly. As you can see from the following:



If you'll look at the 3rd and 4th pics you'll see what appears to be a notch at the end that looks like a wear spot. Since this fit my hand so well I deduced that this was used as some sort of hammer or chipper stone. However, I posted this find on this website and ask for opinions and boy did I get them. Was I ever disappointed because everyone, without exception, told me it was a "River Rock." Now I have been searching for and collecting prehistoric artifacts for nearly 15 years but I couldn't take "sometimes it's just a ROCK" as an opinion. So I took it to a state archaeologist who turned it over in his hand, held it just like in pic #4 and says to me "Hey - That's a real nice River Rock." Well that took me quite by surprise so I showed him the notch in the end and he says "Yea I saw that but there's no way we can say that was manmade. While it is remotely possible that someone in the past used this rock to hammer or chip, there is absolutely no way we can prove that." So, disappointed as I was, I bowed to superior expertise and professionalism, not just in the state archaeologist but in the members of this site that had offered me their opinions when I asked for it. I still have that "rock" in my collection to remind me to be humble because there's always someone out there that knows a lot more than I do and in this case " a lot more someones."

[JoshinMO]

They say nothings perfect but i bet i could find rocks that fit in my hand perfect from where i found numerous points and lithic material. No point in giving yourself a guilt trip about it or anyone else because hey, maybe it was used as something. It's smooth!

[gregszybala]

I have a few handfuls of what I thought may be "utilized rocks". Like many it is hard to determine what is and what isn't and our minds can do a great job of convincing us despite reality. Here in the upper Midwest due to glaciers, there can be lots of rocks lying all over the fields. Hematite, slate, chert, sandstone, granite, etc.. Kick it out of the dirt, pick it up, rub the dirt off and stand there either convincing yourself it is or is not a utilized tool. 97 out of a 100, no, 2 out of a 100 go in my pocket, come home, get cleaned, sit on the workbench for a while, end up in the rock pile in the flower bed. I have found what I think are two hammer stones, something you would think are quite common on sites. Where found anywhere else would be considered manos, I find often, too often and have come to realize were made by glaciers. Because there is so much rock laying around I now tend to dismiss most. But it does get a nudge and a look first and even gets a second and third chance occasionally.

[BabaORiley]

I agree Gregs. I have at least several that I found in an area where there was a camp at one time that fit so perfectly in the hand they were just too hard to leave behind.

[Andy W.]

The glossy ones like that usually have the slickest flint on the inside.