Finds in Delaware

[snedeker]

We have three features that have contained metates (grinding stones) and two had the mano (the part held in the hands) lying close to the metate.  I hope we can find out what they were eating.    We are going to try out a new analytical technique, starch grain analysis.  Sort of like pollen analysis, base plant starch "grains" are preserved in some cases. Made Long carbohydrate molecules. 

Here's one just as it was found.   Under it was a chipping cluster or something including several hundred flakes of all argillite.  A material only found along the Del River near Trenton in these parts, 80 or so miles to the northeast.

Dave

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[richpierce]

I'm guessing mostly maize in that timeframe.  Keep us posted!

[Knocker]

Thanks for sharing Dave.  Until tonight, I thought Argillite was only found on the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia.  Is the Trenton Argillite black like the Haida Argillite?  Is it still quarried?  The Haida keep it for their exclusive use here in the Northwest, and they still create incredible art with it.  There is a good Wikipedia site on Haida Argillite if you are not familiar with it.

Keith

[snedeker]

THats great, I had never heard of the Haida argillite.   The NJ stuff is a tan/gray color. It doesn't look to me like it is all that great a material, but it was traded far and wide.  I don't know if it is quarried now but I douht it.

Dave

[Pat B]

Cool stuff, Dave. Keep it coming!

[snedeker]

Apparently there are some broadspear points coming up from the area associated with the grinding stones.  They date to 1500 BC, before maize entered the scene here.  Grinding stones show up all over north america pretty way back in the Archaic period, for seed and nut grinding.

I'll  get pics of more points and stuff soon.  Stuff is still dirty.    We've got shaft abraders too which is cool.  Have grooves for running up and down shaft.  So we can tell what diameter they were

DR

[richpierce]

Very cool, pre-maize.  There were other native grain plants that were "gardened" or at least managed I think in addition to collected seeds and nuts.  Hope to see more pictures in the coming weeks.

[jamie]

very cool pics dave.

[Pahinh.Winh]

Hanh mitakuyapi / Hello my relatives.  More likely they were grinding the seeds of plants such as lamb's quarters, cattail, and similar at that time. I'm pretty sure lamb's quarters is indigenous to Turtle Island..  The seeds are very high in protein & make a tasty meal once they are ground & soaked..  Also good to thicken stew..  Regardless, there are many plants other than maize that made up our dietary mainstays back then.  For that matter, there was the forerunner of maize, a grass, but can't recall which one.  Still, the seeds would be edible & grindable..  There's a grass that grows in the marshes out here that looks kind of like a rice, but isn't 'wild rice' as we know it now..  I've gathered it's seeds, parched & ground them & they were pretty decent eating..  Keep up the good work.  Nice photos!

[snedeker]

There's begining to be some evidence that they were using the seeds of sumpweed alot in the region.  We're looking forward to trying out the new technique of starch grain analysis to see whats on the tools and such.  Pollen analysis and more usual macro-botanical analyeses don't work in those parts because of the water table having goine up and down through the deposits for centuries.


Thanks for posting Pahinh.  I'd love it if you would personal message me and we could chat about a couple or three things.


We got done in the field in July - we have 40,000 artifacts piled up to work on.  We have some really unusual tools that I need to get pics of - really small chipped stone tools of which I've never seen the like.  LOTS of shaft abraders.  They were making some interesting things there.

[PeteC]

Very interesting.Please keep us posted to your findings. God Bless

[catfishon]

is that long pedistal grinding stone common to delaware ?
the reason i ask is i have one that also came from delaware. i traded a indiana hornstone arrowhead for it a couple yrs back 
the guy had alot of artifacts and told me to pick anything i wanted .
he just wanted something from indiana and i wanted something from delaware, and the long pedistal  caught my eye right off.
all i have found here in indiana are only about half in length and are alot more bell shaped.
just wondering.
oh i also wanted to add the one i have also has a well worn spot where the thumb would have been placed when in use.

[uwe]

Intersting what you say Catfishion. How do you find it? Is it lying on the surface? Or do you look for special signs in the landscape, grooves or old fireplaces? If so it must be an untouched area and not a lot of visitors may come there. On the other way it may be not as old as the bronceage or stoneage in Europe. So these places may be easier to find .

[catfishon]

i traded for it so im not sure how it was found?
 i thought it was a surface find "plowed farm land"  in delaware
here are a couple pics of it

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[Pat B]

Uwe, if I'm not mistaken, popular belief is that our(The Americas) stone age began about 12000 to 15000years ago during the Clovis era with possible Soulutrians(sp) thrown in. Our stone age came from Eurasia over the frozen Bering Straights and possibly Western Europe by way of Iceland. The European stone age goes back not in years but a few humanoid species.