Nutting Stone

Nutting Stone

Artifacts

This nutting stone was found at a site in Orange County in the northern Piedmont. The center of the stone was ground out to form a depression that would hold a nut securely while being cracked by another stone from above. Although Virginia Indians likely gathered wild fruits and nuts since the Paleoindian period, they did not produce tools like this one until the Middle Woodland period, when they became semi-sedentary. Nutting and grinding stones are heavy and are more suited to a permanent village lifestyle, instead of a highly mobile lifestyle.

Bill Speiden

500 B.C.E. - 1600 C.E.

.JPG, 1771 × 1198

Image

Orange County

Photograph

4 x 6 "