What is this?

[timberjack86]

Found in a plowed field yesterday while hunting. Its a bone with a groove cut through it.

 

[geezer]

Its definately a deer bone just cant make out the groove to tell ya anything. Can you get some better focused pics of it?

 

[timberjack86]

Give me a minute!

 

[timberjack86]

Best pic I got

 

[Chris Tripp]

Its not real old in my opinion. The fresh break would be mineralized also. That is a natural groove in the bone.

 

[geezer]

Timberjack, I was flipping through a 2001 edition of the central states archaeological journal and ran across this, thought you might wanna see it. Hope it helps. Different groove but the ancients did alot of things different from site to site......Who knows

 

[timberjack86]

Thanks geezer.

 

[Locksley]

Best pic I got

Well my best guess from the fuzzy picture is Atlatl
An atlatl (/ˈɑːt.lɑːtəl/[1] or /ˈ�t.l�təl/; Classical Nahuatl: ahtlatl [ˈaʔtɬatɬ]) or spear-thrower is a tool that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in dart-throwing.
It consists of a shaft with a cup or a spur at the end that supports and propels the butt of the dart. The atlatl is held in one hand, gripped near the end farthest from the cup. The dart is thrown by the action of the upper arm and wrist, using the atlatl as a low-mass, fast-moving extension of the throwing arm. The atlatl acts as a lever that trades force for speed (the inverse of "leverage" as the term is commonly used).
Common ball throwers (molded plastic shafts used for throwing tennis balls for dogs to fetch) use the same principle.
A traditional atlatl is a long-range weapon and can readily impart to a projectile speeds of over 150 km/h (93 mph)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlatl

http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/hi ... page=21233

 

[Rockhound]

An atatl would be a little longer than a coke can :/

 

[Locksley]

An atatl would be a little longer than a coke can :/

A broke atatl

 

[Chris Tripp]

That bone is not that old, it has very little mineralization or patina. It appears to be what is left of a broke deer leg bone, they have a natural groove.