by Tim Brawner, Dothan Alabama
The dimple stone is an unusual artifact found primarily in the southeastern coastal plain regions of the United States and is often referred to as an egg-stone. Dimple stones are an oval or egg-shaped polished stone artifact, the basal end is flat with a concave depression or “dimple”. This feature distinguishes these artifacts from other problematic polished stone artifacts.
Dimple stones are quite rare and have been reported throughout the eastern United States, but they occur primarily in the coastal plain regions of the fall line from Virginia, the Carolina’s, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. The core distribution area seems to be the northern Florida riverain environments of the Aucilla, Santa Fe and Suwannee river basins and extends northward and westward into the coastal plain regions of Alabama and Georgia along the Chattahoochee and Flint river basins. The Chattahoochee river basin seems to be the western and northern boundary of this core area.
Like other polished stone artifacts, dimple stones were manufactured by starting with a stone of the approximate shape, then by pecking, grinding and polishing. Quartzite and sandstone were the most common materials used in the manufacture of these artifacts. Other materials include claystone, diorite, dolomite, gneiss, hematite, limestone and porphyry. Rachels and Knight examined 86 dimple stones. The average length was 50 mm (1.97 inches) with a range of 32 to 89 mm. The average width was 43 mm (1.69 inches) with a range of 23 to 73 mm. And the average dimple depth was 1.8 mm (.07 inches) with a range of near 0 to 5 mm.
Almost all of these artifacts have been isolated finds making cultural associations difficult. A dimple stone was recovered from an early level of the Page-Ladson Site with a radiocarbon date of 12,330 BP. The Page-Ladson Site is an underwater site in the Aucilla River in Florida. Some dismiss this date as the mixing of different strata and suggest other radiocarbon dates of 9,500 to 10,000 BP.
Another example was found at the Cavern Site in Marion County Florida. The Cavern Site is an underwater cave in the artesian springs that spawn the Silver River and at the time of occupation was a dry land site. Although not in proper archaeological context, this example was found on the same floor as a Suwannee Paleo point, a thin sheet of ivory, and bones of mammoth, mastodon, ground sloth and other Pleistocene animals.
At top: Dimple stone found by the author in March of 1988, approximately ¼ of a mile from the Chattahoochee River in Houston County Alabama. This is a finely made Type 2 dimple stone and is 60 mm (2.36 inches) long, 41 mm (1.61 inches) wide, 34 mm (1.34 inches) at the widest point from the dimple end, and the dimple is .5 mm (.02 inches) deep. This artifact was actually found by accident. My wife was pregnant and had to take a bathroom break on our way to fish, so we pulled off a dirt lane and found the artifact in the dirt lane, oh well luck counts!
Map of the Fall Line and Distribution Area
The fall line runs parallel to the Atlantic coast and divides the eastern coastal plain from the Appalachian foothills, then turns westward into Georgia and Alabama and continues through Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana. The majority of dimple stones are found below the fall line. The core distribution area seems to be the northern Florida riverain environments associated with the Aucilla, Santa Fe and Suwannee river basins and the adjacent coastal plain regions of Georgia and Alabama along the Chattahoochee and Flint river basins. The Aucilla River basin originates in south central Georgia, empties into the Gulf of Mexico and includes the Wacissa River. The Suwannee River basin originates in the Okefenokee Swamp in southeastern Georgia, empties into the Gulf of Mexico and includes the Alapaha, Ichetucknee, New, Santa Fe and Withlacoochee rivers. The Suwannee River basin separates peninsular Florida from the Florida panhandle. The Chattahoochee River basin originates in northeastern Georgia, converges with the Flint River at the Georgia and Florida state lines to form the Apalachicola River which empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The Chattahoochee river basin seems to represent the western and northern boundaries of the core distribution area.
The Primary Types of Dimple Stones
Rachels and Knight defined four primary types of dimple stones. Type 1 is oval or egg-shaped with the widest point approximately 2/3 from the dimple end. Type 2 is oval or egg-shaped with the widest point near the middle, the distal end tapers to somewhat of a point. Type 3 is circular or round in shape, but wider in the middle. Type 4 is oval in shape but tapers on the distal end to a flattened ridge.
Dimple stones are not represented in the archaeological record in later times. The majority of the isolated finds in the coastal plain regions are found in close proximity to rivers and creeks and are often found on the same sites where older point topologies are found. Dimple stones seem to be a Late Paleo to Early Archaic artifact type.
The purpose or function of these artifacts is not known. They have been identified as bola stones, club heads, game-stones, nutting stones, hammer stones, ceremonial objects and other. Logical would assume that the time and effort needed to produce a dimple stone would imply some type of specific purpose or function, or other value to the maker. This seems to eliminate bola stones, nutting stones and hammer stones while supporting club heads, game-stones or for ceremonial use.
Bolas consist of more than one stone and when thrown could be easily lost. If used as nutting stones or hammer stones they would be damaged from use and a waste of the maker’s time. Perino suggests they were Archaic club heads and that clubs were widely used by the different cultures. Clubs were not as prone to loss since they were hand held and were widely used. Dimple stones were limited in time but clubs continued over time, and certainly club head styles changed over time and from region to region. Rachels and Knight examined use wear and concluded that the dimple served as a hafting area for some type of use. Game-stones were typically a manifestation of later cultures while dimple stones occur earlier. We don’t understand the ceremonialism of the earlier cultures so we don’t know if dimple stones were for ceremonial use, symbolic in nature or served as some form of status. We may not understand the purpose of these artifacts until others are found in such a manner to indicate use.
Dimple stones are rare artifacts that occur in the eastern United States, primarily in the coastal plain regions of the fall line. The dimple is the characteristic that separates these artifacts from other types of artifacts.
Although only one dimple stone has been reported in archaeological context, it seems that these artifacts are of a Late Paleo to Early Archaic origin. Many theories have been postulated as to their purpose but until examples are found in proper context to indicate use, we will not understand the purpose of these unusual artifacts. I was lucky enough to find one of these artifacts which remains as one of the centerpieces of our collection.
References
Neill, Wilfred T.
1971 A Florida Paleo-Indian Implement of Ground Stone. The Florida Anthropologist Vol. 24-2, pp. 61-70.
Perino, Gregory
1972 Are they Archaic Club Heads? Central States Archaeological Journal Vol. 19-1, pp. 14-18.
Rachels, Thomas and Knight, L. Robert
2004 Dimple Stones – An Unique and Early Ground Stone Artifact Type From the Southeast. The Amateur Archaeologist Special Issue Fall 2004, pp. 57-75.
Tesar, Louis D.
1994 Clubheads, Bola Stones, or What? The Florida Anthropologist Vol. 47-3, pp. 295-303.