Length: 3 3/8"

Grade: 9

Description: This wonderful Ridged Rectangular (or Rectangular Tablet) Bannerstone is made of a dense, highly patinated, fine grained Limestone or Dolomite with a few iron inclusions. Gray to tan color with a near matt finish, highly polished smooth surface. The drilled hole is 3/8" in diameter and extends 1 3/4" thru the stone. In the deep south, various forms or shapes of Bannerstones were used, but most were Shuttle types. This is a more sophisticated type, exemplifing influence from the northern Archaic Bannerstone making cultures like Indian Knoll.

These were used as a counter weight to balance the spear launching apperatus called an Atlatl. These were permantly affixed to the launching stick and would allow the hunter to have the spear in a cocked and ready to throw position for a long time without arm muscle fatigue. Tremendous amount of labor went into the manufacture of this piece. It would have been core drilled by hand, using a reed and very tiny bits of chert flakes. Constant and continuous spinning of the reed or river cane for untold hours to create this long drilled out hole. Then in its final stages it was pecked and ground and polished to a smooth finish.

Provenance: Found many years ago on private property with permission near the Cahaba River just south of Birmingham in Jefferson Co. Alabama.