THE USE OF STONE
Fig. 11—Man’s First Tool, the Hammer Stone.
Away back in the days when all human beings were simple Stone Age peoples, just beginning the long climb toward civilization, their first tool was nothing more than a Stone or Pebble, picked up along the stream, and used as a Hammer Stone or Hand Hammer. They would want to crack a nut for its kernel, to break a bone for its marrow, or to frighten away a cave bear or hyena that threatened them; and the Hammer Stone served their needs. Later, when they learned that by breaking, pounding and pecking, they could change the shape and form of other stones, in making tools, the Hammer Stone was once more their servant. It was used by primitive peoples the world over, including of course the Mound-builders and the Indians. From the humble Hammer Stone, as a beginning, we may trace without a break all the inventions and progress that man has made, from the very earliest times up to the present. Therefore the Hammer Stone may be rightly called the father of civilization.
Fig. 12—Grooved Stone Hammer.
At first, the human arm was the handle of the Stone Hammer. Later, primitive man discovered that he could “work” stone by pecking and grinding it with another harder stone. He then supplied his Stone Hammer with a groove, and lashed it to a wooden handle by means of a rawhide thong. This handle not only gave him a longer reach, but added more power to his blow.
Putting a groove on a Stone Hammer was really a very important step in human development, for it made of the tool an actual piece of personal property, which the owner would want to carry around with him as he moved from place to place and which, perhaps, would be handed down from father to son.
In Ohio, the ancient Indian tribes used the Grooved Hammer quite freely, and while none have been found in Mounds, it is probable that the Mound-builders also made use of it.
Fig. 13—Stone Pestles and Mortars.
For crushing and grinding corn and seeds into meal, primitive peoples used simple stone implements, several of which are shown above. The type of Pestle, shown at the upper left, known as the Bell-shaped Pestle, is found abundantly in Ohio and near-by states. They were used with wooden Mortars or flat stones, and sometimes with shallow stone mortars, like that shown at the upper right, and were suitable either for pounding or grinding.
The lower specimen in the picture, known as a Roller Pestle, was used like a modern rolling-pin.
Stone Pestles are rarely found in Mounds, but were used mostly by the primitive Indian tribes.
The stone Pestle and Mortar were man’s first grist-mill, out of which developed the water-driven grist-mills of pioneer days and, later on, the great electrically-driven flour mills of today.
Fig. 14—Chisels and Celts, or Ungrooved Axes.
These, with the Grooved Axe illustrated on the following page, were the commoner types of implements used for chiseling and chopping. They could also be used as wedges. With the Celt, when used as a Chisel or Hand-hatchet, the human arm was the handle. If it served as a Hatchet, Tomahawk, or Axe, it was lashed to a wooden handle by means of rawhide thongs.
The Celt was used for a great variety of purposes. In Ohio and near-by states it is often called a “skinning stone,” and it would have been a very convenient tool for removing the hides of animals. Some Celts are very rough in appearance, with only the edges ground to a polish, while others are smooth and highly polished over their entire surfaces.
The Celt is a very ancient tool, and is found in large numbers on the surface of the ground in almost every part of the world where men have lived.
Fig. 15—Grooved Stone Axes.
It is interesting to compare the modern Steel Axe, Hatchet or other handled cutting tool, with the simple stone implements of prehistoric times and to note how, little by little, they have been improved and perfected. The present-day Axe or hatchet is comparatively light and thin and the handle is inserted through a hole or into a socket. Stone tools, no matter how the handle is attached, must be heavier and thicker, because stone will not stand the strain of hard use as will steel.
The Ohio Mound-building peoples simply lashed wooden handles to their ungrooved Axes or Celts, using rawhide thongs. These, when they dried, held very tightly and made a very useful tool. The ancient Indians also used this method, and in addition they pecked grooves around their Axes to supply a firmer fastening for the thong. The above drawings show the Grooved Axe, and how the handle was secured. This implement served as an Axe, a Hatchet or a Tomahawk, according to its size.