The pestles which have the bottom round or convex are generally found in the same localities as the hollowed stone mortars. Several forms of pestles are represented in the collection. They may be grouped as in the following description and tabulation.
A. With expanding base; bottom flat or slightly convex, often with a slight depression in the middle. Handle tapering, or of uniform diameter to the top; in a few, slightly swelling above as if to give a firmer hold. Top rounded, flat, or pointed. Bottom may be very little expanded or may have twice the diameter of the handle. Probably used for pounding grain or seeds on a flat stone, as it could not be used in a mortar even slightly hollowed. None seem to have been used as mullers or rubbers. They may have served for hammers, and would be excellent for cracking nuts, as the pit in the bottom would tend to keep them from flying out to the side. The type is shown in [figure 82], of quartzite, from Sullivan county, Tennessee. The distribution is moderately wide, and the material chiefly granite and quartzite, with a few of other rock varieties, as shown in the table:
| District. | A | B | C | D | E | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeastern Kentucky | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||
| Eastern Tennessee | 3 | 6 | 1 | |||
| Ross county, Ohio | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Miami valley, Ohio | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Southwestern Illinois | 1 | |||||
| Kanawha valley, West Virginia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| KEY: A = Quartzite. B = Granite C = Sienite D = Diorite. E = Sandstone. F = Argillite. | ||||||
B. Almost cylindrical, from 6 to 18 inches long and about two inches in diameter. Some of the larger ones were probably rolling-pins, as the ends, either from some fancy finish, or because worked to a point, are of a shape that would make their use as pestles impracticable. Even as rollers, some must have been used for crushing grain that had previously been softened or was not fully matured, as they are of a soft stone that would wear very easily. The shorter ones are blunt at the ends, and may have been used in a shallow wooden mortar; none are adapted for use in stone. The class is illustrated by [figure 83], of soft clay slate, from Cherokee county, Georgia.
| District. | A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery county, North Carolina | 1 | ||||
| Northwestern North Carolina | 1 | ||||
| Eastern Tennessee | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |
| Butler county, Ohio | 1 | ||||
| Northwestern Georgia | 1 | 1 | |||
| Hopkins county, Kentucky | 1 | ||||
| KEY: A = Argillite. B = Soft slate. C = Clay slate. D = Mica-schist. E = Quartzite. | |||||
Fig. 83.—Pestle, long cylindrical form.
Fig. 84.—Pestle, conical.
C. Conical, or truncated cone, bottom flat, convex or curved from one side to the opposite. Some are quite smooth on the bottom as if from rubbing either back and forth or with a rotary motion; while many have the bottom pecked rough, showing use as hammers or pounders. For those with curved bottoms a rocking motion seems best adapted; with the palm resting on the longer side, good work could be done in any of these ways. Typical specimens are shown in figures 84, of quartzite, from Monroe county, Tennessee; 85, of granite, from Warren county, Ohio; and 86, of quartzite, from Saline county, Arkansas. A somewhat aberrant specimen, shown in [figure 87], of granite, from Carter county, Tennessee, has an elliptical base, rounded top, and flat bottom; the longer sides grooved for handle. A similar one, of quartzite, came from Warren county, Ohio. There is considerable variety of material, quartzite largely predominating. Although the geographic range is wide, the distribution is rather sparse, and several districts are not represented.