Birdstone   Save
G. W. Lorimer Collection
Description: This small, very dark gray, slate birdstone is of the pop-eye type; the eyes are round and flare out, projecting 9 mm from the head. The head ends in a tapering wedge shape, while the tail tapers straight out from the body to a blunt wedge shape. The base is carved into a saddle shape, suggesting two sets of legs. There are holes drilled through the ridge closest to the tail. The ridge closest to the head has two partially drilled holes that do not connect; one hole is larger and deeper than the other. There are two incised lines on the left side of the tail; one is deeply incised and runs from the top to the bottom, while the other is more shallow and runs from the top only part way down. Although the function of birdstones is unknown, they might have served as highly-decorative spearthrower weights. This piece comes from Glacial Kame Culture. The Glacial Kame people are noted for their emphasis on ceremony, but their daily lives were much like those of other Archaic cultures. They hunted with spears aided by spear throwers. Deer, their major source of meat, also provided antler tines that were made into tools for pressure flaking flint knives and spear points, or into harpoons for fishing. Deer leg bones were cut and ground into sharp-pointed awls for sewing and basket making. Slate and coal from glacial deposits were made into ornaments, perhaps for "everyday" use. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: A0149_000002_1
Subjects: Prehistoric peoples; Effigies;
Places: G. W. Lorimer Collection