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I may have this in the wrong section. If so please put it where it belongsI was told this was dug up during a construction project about thirty feet under ground in Washington StateI think it is the pestle from a huge mortar and pestle.. The discoloration on the ends are where the exterior coating has been ground away to expose a granite type rock. Both ends show signs of abrasionIt is 7.5 inches in diameter, 6.5 inches tall and weighs 22 poundsAny help appreciated
Wouldn't a pestle be more elongated? I wonder if those marks were made by hammering. I thought perhaps the notch was to tie a rope or something. 7.5 in diam. is kinda small to be a type of anchoring device though.I have no clue.
Could be a fragment of a sculture. Mushroom, penis, re-entry heat shield? Or it could be a natural formation, isolated by earthquake, flood, or other erosive activity. I don't know, neat rock though.
SkiguyI have found several Indian mortar and pestles on my land. The Indians here just mostly used round rock for pestles and a dished out sandstone for mortar.(BTW I have a collection of pharmaceutical Mortar and pestles with one cast iron one going back to the 1700s.)The groove on this stone fits the fingers perfectly if you hold it with both hands. I don't think it is possible that this is a natural formation.
The photo is a bit deceiving as it appeared to be rather large at first (2 feet or so in diameter) until I read your description of how small it would be. If the fingers do fit snug in the grooves then it would appear to be a pestle, though probably one for a specialized use. Otherwise it would appear the groove would fit some sort of belt rather than a straight rope. I think getting a history of the land or possible settlements in the area would go a long way in determining the function of the object.
It looks like it could have served as a millstone in a primitive grain mill. I saw a mill once where the stone was dragged in a circle and not rolled because the mill was animal driven, much like the machine that Conan has to push when he is growing up in the first movie. A pestle seems plausible to me as well, though it would have been huge and unwieldy to handle.
