May 17th 2014 Primitive American Artifacts Sale (12)
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/16/2014
1000-5000 B.P. Mississippian period. Dickson Co. Tennessee. Possibly Beech creek Flint. Flint, because of its higher quartz content, is a much harder material to shape than the quartzite typically used to manufacture Middle Tennessee trophy discoidals. Consequently, flint discoidals are very rarely seen. Unusual stones were searched out by ancient people and when a piece of stone was procured with outrageous color patterns like the one seen here, it was passed up to a master stone worker capable of sharpening the stubborn flint material into the masterpiece you see here. The ancient makers ability to disburse the ruby red color across the surface of the stone is remarkable. Trophy game stones like this were used to complete in huge Chun-Kee games that involved high stakes betting on the roll of the stone. The precision and balance of these disks were of major importance to the outcome of the game. The “thumb” polish seen throughout the inner cups of this discoidal reflect the many hours of rubbing its ancient player invested, in an effort to bring balance and aerodynamics to perfection.
Item Dimensions: 3 - 3/4" x 35mm x 15/16".