4/3/23 Report - Some Very Old Things That Have Been and Can Be Found on the Treasure Coast Beaches - Stone Artifacts.

 

Written by the TreasureGudie for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

Agatized Coral Arrowhead
Found on the Treasure Coast.

Yesterday I posted a variety of indigenous shell artifacts from the Treasure Coast.  Today I'll post some stone artifacts that have been found on the Treasure Coast.

Like I always say, "There is always some peace to hunt and something to find."  And there are a lot of different kinds of treasures out there on the Treasure Coast to be found.  No sense walking right over one kind of treasure and missing it just because you are looking for something else.  

I'll start with an arrowhead that was made from agatized coral.

Florida designated agatized coral as the official state stone in 1976 (agatized coral is actually a fossil). Fossilized coral is also a state symbol of Michigan...

Agatized coral can be found in three main locations in Florida: Tampa Bay, the Econfina river, and the Withlacoochee / Suwannee river beds...

Source: Florida State Stone | Agatized Coral (statesymbolsusa.org)

Notice that this piece must have come from somewhere else since agatized coral is not found on the Treasure Coast.  

The above point was found in a shell pile. 

I know virtually nothing about how to identify or date arrow heads, but it looks to me like it might be an Edena point, which would be from the Late Archaic to Early Woodland period.  That means we could be talking of thousands of years old rather than hundreds.  I could easily be wrong about that and hope someone will correct me..

See National Search of Projectile Points Alphabetical I

Various types of agate gemstones have been valued throughout history, all the way back to the Neolithic Era. It is believed these stones were originally used as amulets of healing. Agates were used as healing stones in Ancient Greek and Egyptian civilizations as well. It's said the Greek philosopher Theophrastus gave agate its name because he found the stone in the Achates River of present day Sicily, Italy. The River has since been renamed to the Dirillo River...

Source: Gemstone Information - Agate, Fossil: Meaning and Properties - Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Here is another stone point from the Treasure Coast.  It is much larger than a one shown above and is undoubtedly a spear point.

One day I was metal detecting at Wabasso after some big erosion and a lady came up to me and showed me something she just found.  She thought I'd know something about it.  It was an arrowhead that had evidently just washed out of the dunes.

Broken Spear Point
Found on the Treasure Coast.

At another beach a lady once came up to me and asked said, "Is this what I think it is."  I said yes.  It was an arrowhead.  It was found in a shell pile.

Some stone artifacts are difficult to identify.  To me, the one shown below seems to be one, but I'm not totally sure.  I would bet that it is, but I could be wrong.

Stone Artifact Found on the Treasure Coast.

It would make a good hammer or pestle.  It fits the hand perfectly - almost too well to be accidental.  It fits the hand beautifully. It couldn't be more ergonomic.  I've seen similar examples online described as a grinding or pecking stone.  I'd guess it is a pestle for crushing or grinding but can't prove it.  Maybe it is nothing but a smooth rock.  All thoughts and opinions are welcome.

Another of the hard-to-say ones is the following founded flat stone.  Yesterday I showed a very similar rounded flat shell piece of about the same size.  This one appears to be stone.

Stone Round.

I've seen rounded stones exactly like this described as discoidals, but I'm not convinced.  I've seen shell, stone and pottery discoidals described.   It is not nearly as nice as some of the discoidals I've seen.  One person told me it was probably in the process of being made into something.  I don't know, but it does look like it has been worked.  

According to some, discoidals were used in marksmanship games.  I think the variety of types of discoidals suggests more uses than that.  But I know next to nothing about the subject.  

Yesterday I showed shell artifacts found on the Treasure Coast and today some stone artifacts.  Some seem questionable, and I'd gladly take correction on any of them.  The one thing I can say for sure is that the more I study them, the more I learn, and the more my observations from around various parts of the Treasure Coast seem to fit together.  Is it coincidence that an old spear point was found not far from where a lot of very old animal fossil remains can be found?  Maybe not.  The more you observe and the more parts of the puzzle you consider, the more it seems they fit together to provide a picture of what went on in your area in the past.  

As a treasure hunter, no matter what kind of treasure you hunt, there are all kinds of clues around you.  

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DJ sent me the following quote.

“.   “There is something in a treasure that fastens upon a man’s mind. He will pray and blaspheme, and will curse the day he ever heard of it, and will let his last hour come upon him unawares, still believing that he missed it only by a foot. He will see it every time he closes his eyes. He will never forget it till he is dead—“

Joseph Conrad, Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard

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Source: MagicSeaweed.com.

The surf predictions aren't very exciting right now.  The tides are pretty flat. 

I haven't been out much at all lately.  I'd like to see some good low tides.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net