Soapstone

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geocash
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Soapstone

Post by geocash »

This thing in the center was made of soapstone, also known as steatite. It's basic magnesium silicate, a soft greasy-feeling metamorphic rock derived from dolomite rock & peridotite, whatever that is. Best I can tell, archaeologists &/or anthropologists, or such, believe the hole was drilled so it could be lifted from a fire when it was hot & dropped into a leather bag or wooden bowl or some type of vessel to cook the liquid contents. When pottery came into use around here, maybe 3,000 years ago, the production of theses things ceased, apparently because the heat could then be applied underneath the pot. Soapstone deposits exist a few miles from me. I became interested in this thing when I plowed it up in my garden. In the second image you can see where the tiller hit the upper right part. And then again, I could be wrong. What do ya'll think?
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Tony_Wood
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Re: Soapstone

Post by Tony_Wood »

geocash wrote:This thing in the center was made of soapstone, also known as steatite. It's basic magnesium silicate, a soft greasy-feeling metamorphic rock derived from dolomite rock & peridotite, whatever that is. Best I can tell, archaeologists &/or anthropologists, or such, believe the hole was drilled so it could be lifted from a fire when it was hot & dropped into a leather bag or wooden bowl or some type of vessel to cook the liquid contents. When pottery came into use around here, maybe 3,000 years ago, the production of theses things ceased, apparently because the heat could then be applied underneath the pot. Soapstone deposits exist a few miles from me. I became interested in this thing when I plowed it up in my garden. In the second image you can see where the tiller hit the upper right part. And then again, I could be wrong. What do ya'll think?
I think that, with the other posts you made tonight, you have an excellent property with a rich history.
Interested to see what you pull from the ground this next spring. Any caves, rock shelters, or creeks on your property?
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tongueriver
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Re: Soapstone

Post by tongueriver »

I know nothing about the native American artifacts to speak of. I read somewhere (probably in a museum display?) about a rock with a hole in it that was supposedly used to straighten arrows. ::shrug:: I like your modern hawk and would like to see a better image of it!
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geocash
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Re: Soapstone

Post by geocash »

Tony_Wood wrote:


I think that, with the other posts you made tonight, you have an excellent property with a rich history.
Interested to see what you pull from the ground this next spring. Any caves, rock shelters, or creeks on your property?
Tony,

There are several streams & one small creek on the old family farm but no expansive bottomlands or rock outcrops here or within several miles. I plowed up the perforated soapstone slab & the sloped pole stone axe that I posted images of in my garden some thirty years ago. We had a vegetable garden & my father grew some corn for hogs when I was little so when the soil was disturbed I'd occasionally find a point or scraper after the next rain had exposed them. I didn't find many here but that got my attention. So, I don't think this place is loaded with artifacts & over the last few years I've been unable to go to sites on private property that are. I picked up the pot shards in this image out of a creek bed a few miles from me were an earthen mound was allegedly bulldozed to make it easier to plow the bottomland field. I hope to be able to go there again.
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Tony_Wood
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Re: Soapstone

Post by Tony_Wood »

geocash wrote:
Tony_Wood wrote:


I think that, with the other posts you made tonight, you have an excellent property with a rich history.
Interested to see what you pull from the ground this next spring. Any caves, rock shelters, or creeks on your property?
Tony,

There are several streams & one small creek on the old family farm but no expansive bottomlands or rock outcrops here or within several miles. I plowed up the perforated soapstone slab & the sloped pole stone axe that I posted images of in my garden some thirty years ago. We had a vegetable garden & my father grew some corn for hogs when I was little so when the soil was disturbed I'd occasionally find a point or scraper after the next rain had exposed them. I didn't find many here but that got my attention. So, I don't think this place is loaded with artifacts & over the last few years I've been unable to go to sites on private property that are. I picked up the pot shards in this image out of a creek bed a few miles from me were an earthen mound was allegedly bulldozed to make it easier to plow the bottomland field. I hope to be able to go there again.

That is a beautiful display of the pottery. Good job doing that.
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geocash
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Re: Soapstone

Post by geocash »

tongueriver wrote:I know nothing about the native American artifacts to speak of. I read somewhere (probably in a museum display?) about a rock with a hole in it that was supposedly used to straighten arrows. ::shrug:: I like your modern hawk and would like to see a better image of it!
tongueriver,

I think soapstone is much too soft for that use but then I wasn't there at the time.

I did just post some images of the modern tomahawk over in the "Other Sharp Objects"
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