Help please.. Or guidance on where to send

[craigV3]

I found this square shaped piece of bone on the bottom of a Great Lake in Michigan while detecting. It appears to be bone or antler and has a round hole in it. I looked into sending it in for carbon dating but was told the specimen isn't able to be carbon dated. Just need help identifying it and or finding somewhere to send it to date it. The area is known to have occupants dating back 5000 years (recent special I watched on tv).


Thanks in advance

 

[craigV3]

Anyone....?????

 

[HuntinDog]

I have no idea....
Looks like it was maybe the center piece of a bead necklace.

 

[Digger]

It appears to be a legit artifact. What is the actual dimensions? Could it be shell or stone instead of antler or bone? Can you tell if it were drilled from both sides, or from one side. At this point, I'd only be guessing.... but since you found it in a lake, my guess is that it was used as a weight on a (native American) fishing net.

 

[craigV3]

It's 2" X 2" and the hole almost goes completely thru

 

[craigV3]

I'm almost positive it's antler or bone from the pourus material.. I've made knive handles from antler and the interior is pours and looks identical to the sides of this item. The hole is almost all the way thru..

 

[HaloEffect426]

As far as i understand, if it is organic, it is radio carbon dateable...might check another source....just a thought....if it is bone, my guess would be some sort of ornamentation. It's a nice find regardless!....good luck. HH. HaloEffect426

 

[copper kidd]

Just a wild guess but it could have been used the Indians for starting fires with a stick and bow. Used on the bottom to hold the stick in place with the tinder piled on it.
This is just a guess keep in mind but I have seen stones with holes in them that were used for this.

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