North American Auction Company
Timed Auction

Last Chance September 2024 Past Lots Sale - Ends September 13th

Tue, Sep 10, 2024 02:00AM EDT - Fri, Sep 13, 2024 03:00PM EDT
Lot 394

Neolithic Saddle Quern, Cupstones & Pestle Tools

Estimate: $300 - $500

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
For your consideration are four Neolithic Era stone tools circa 5000 BC - 2200 BC. The lot features a saddle quern, two small cupstones and a small pestle from a mortar and pestle. The saddle quern, also known as corn crushers, mealing stones, or grain grinders, are hand-held tools used to grind grain into flour. They have been used in primitive civilizations around the world since the Neolithic period (4,500-2,500 BC). Saddle querns are shaped like a saddle from above and have a concave depression in the lower stone, or bedstone, that's created by rubbing it with a convex stone over many hours. To use a saddle quern, grain is placed on the concave stone and broken by moving the upper stone, or rubber, back and forth over it. The two cupstones, also known as anvil stones, pitted cobbles, and nutting stones, these generally discoidal or amorphous groundstone artifacts are among the most frequent lithic relics of Native American culture, particularly in the Midwestern United States. There is no agreement on their purpose or purposes, which could have included the preparation of food, medicine, or pigments, storage, arrow manufacture, or fire drills. As so, they could be a crude version of a mortar and pestle. The final piece appears to be a small pestle piece from a mortar and pestle. The condition of this collection is well preserved with no obvious signs of damage and shows a well preserved condition. The saddle quern measures 5 5/8" L x 3 1/8" W x 1 5/8" H, the cupstones measure 1 5/8" L x 1 7/16" W x 1" H to 1 7/16" L x 1 7/8" W x 1 9/16" H, the pestle piece measures 1 7/16" L x 1 3/8" W x 3/4" H. The pieces have a collective weight of 2 pounds.

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