Is this a mortar?

[johnd]

this is a beach find from my home along the northern great lakes

[Deleted]

Because of the size, I'd think perhaps a paint pot. Really pretty find!

[Sabre52]

Kinda thinking not a mortar or paint pot. I've seen a lot of both and they tend to be extremely well worn and evenly smooth on the inside due to use. Pic of your example makes the inside look a bit more like a naturally occurring object rather than man made. Could be your example was just knocked around a bit and roughened up though and is man made. Hard to tell without having it in hand..Mel

[Drummond Island Rocks]

Might be an OMAR. They can be found on our Michigan beaches.

forums.arrowheads.com/forum/information-center-gc33/pseudo-artifacts-geofacts-gc98/geofacts-fossils-commonly-mistaken-for-artifacts-gc99/181607-rocks-with-holes-and-cups

Sabre52

Chuck

[Jugglerguy]

Aug 7, 2017 9:44:19 GMT -5 Drummond Island Rocks said:

Might be an OMAR. They can be found on our Michigan beaches.

forums.arrowheads.com/forum/information-center-gc33/pseudo-artifacts-geofacts-gc98/geofacts-fossils-commonly-mistaken-for-artifacts-gc99/181607-rocks-with-holes-and-cups

Sabre52

Chuck

I agree. I find a lot of omars on Lake Superior beaches. I find some here on Lake Huron too at least I think they are. There are also limestone rocks on Lake Huron with holes in them, so I might be getting the two confused. Here are some of my Lake Superior omars.

[fernwood]

Interesting. This looks like a collection of paint pots that was at a Northern WI youth camp when I was there in HS and as a 4-H leader. The ones there were in varying sizes with explanations of the specific use for each. Some did not have a worn interior, supposedly due to lack of use. They all had the same cone shape as yours, for ergonomic reasons.
Question for the experts here: How common are Omars that are cone shaped? I thought they were usually flatter.

Do you know what type of rock it is? The exhibit said that softer rocks were preferred for "on the spot" needs, such as "war paint". These could be quickly made, used and then tossed. More permanent needs such as for pottery or clothing, were made from harder rocks. These also tended to be larger in size.
Dunno if the exhibit was a farce, but doubt it, as the naturalist there was good, very good, and very much involved with Native history and culture.

[Jugglerguy]

I think mine are all more flat, like the ones in the picture. I don't know if they have to be, but you're right, John's is more cone shaped.

[Jugglerguy]

I was out picking rocks in Lake Huron today and found a rock that may or may not be an omar, but it is somewhat conical.





These Lake Huron rocks don't have quite the same look as the omars I find in Lake Superior, so I'm not sure that they're even omars. I left this one in the lake.

[radio]

A couple months ago I was surprised to find a paint pot setting on my bench with a note attached saying he thought I might enjoy having the "rock" he found on his property North of Canton, Mo on a bluff overlooking the River. He has popped in before showing me arrowheads, plummets and other neat artifacts he has found on his farm. This stone is about 6 inches long and 3 inches wide with a two inch diameter hole. It has two smaller holes on the back side, so it was a multi color pot. Definitely an artifact and not an "OMAR". He promised to bring me a stone axe later this fall and I'm excited to see that and other artifacts .

[johnd]

Thanks for responses-I originally thought it was a naturally worn object, but the more I looked at it, and the way it fit into a hand, got me wondering.  The wear pattern in the cup is very different than the wear out of the cup- and it is shaped at the narrow end.  I can see it being an omar, a paint pot or a mortar-

This area had a lot of Native activity in by gone days (Door peninsula).  My uncle found a stone axehead on his beach a few years ago just down the road-