Worked
Nutshells - Day's Knob Site
| This is an interesting but
apparently unrecognized artifact form. Nutshells often appear deeply buried in context with
lithic artifacts, and these were initially dismissed as likely having been
buried by animals, but sometimes this hard material has the definite
appearance of having been human-worked. |
| Above, a sandstone, in the
common diamond-shaped (or kite-shaped) form and
incorporating the characteristic simple zoo-anthropomorphic imagery, is tightly
wedged into a nutshell (acorn?) obviously trimmed for the
purpose. |
|
Another figure
like the one above, although less striking. |
| This one incorporates a snail
shell rather than a stone. It could be dismissed as a
natural occurance except that the edges of the hole are not cut
in the manner of rodent gnawing, and if the snail had just
happened to crawl into the hole and die, it seems quite unlikely
that after decomposition of the soft tissue the shell would have
remained tightly wedged into the nut.
The three objects shown above
were unearthed at the spring that served as the site's water
supply, a particularly artifact-rich location.
|
____________________
____________________
Below:
Whole walnuts or walnut
shell fragments often appear buried in context with artifact
material. Below is a generally bird-shaped one bearing distinct carving marks
(no, not rodent gnawings).
Below, looking down onto
the top of the figure, carved into the shape of a bird head.
Consider this in the
context of the walnut group below from the recent finds of Dave Gillilan
in Pickaway County, Ohio, which appeared about 1.5 m (5') below the
surface, along with flint and quartz points, blades, and scrapers
professionally identified as likely Late Archaic, i.e. roughly 2000 years BP. Note the one coated with a whitish material, with the
simple grinning face so characteristic of figures on artifacts at the
Day's Knob site. And the one above and to the right of it seems to
incorporate the typical simple bird form.
