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Birdstone

Archaic birdstone
3000–1000 BC
Schenectady, Schenectady County, New York
Porphyry
11 x 4 x 2 cm
Collected by I. McGirk Mitchell
7/4409

Archaic popeyed birdstone
3000–1000 BC
Watertown, Jefferson County, New York
Slate
9 x 2.5 x 3.5 cm
Collected by E. M. Jackson
5/4385

These small sculptures were lashed to the shafts of atlatls, or spear-throwers, as weights. Their materials, often richly figured stone, are used to enhance their forms.

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