Bird Stone Item Number: L49.3.4 from the Brooklyn Museum
Credit Line
Private Collection
Label
Bird Stones: A Mystery
Bird stones have been found from Nova Scotia down along the Eastern Seaboard and as far west as the Mississippi River. There are many theories about their function. Were they charms associated with religion? Were they fastened to clothing to indicate status or stage of life? Were they ancient game pieces or handles for a spear thrower (atlatl)? All bird stones are carved from exceptional types of hard stone, and the quantity of surviving examples indicates that they were quite popular.
Item History
- Made between 1501 BCE and 501 BCE
What
Who
- Culture
- Hopewell
Where
- Holding Institution
- Brooklyn Museum
When
- Creation Date
- between 1501 BCE and 501 BCE
Other
- Location
- American Identities: A New Look, American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, The Americas’ First Peoples, 4000 B.C.E.–1521 C.E., 5th Floor
- Classification
- Sculpture