Wisconson Winged Bannerstone Item Number: 77.30.1 from the Brooklyn Museum
Credit Line
A. Augustus Healy Fund
Label
Bannerstones
In the woodlands regions of North America, stone and quartzes were materials used extensively for ritual and utilitarian items. A bannerstone likely had a practical function as a counterweight on an atlatl, a long wooden shaft with a hooked end that was used to add power to a hunter’s arm when throwing a spear. The bannerstone’s wings may have provided balance. Bannerstones are often found far from stone sources, indicating they were part of a large trade network.
Item History
- Made between 4001 BCE and 2001 BCE
What
- Name
- Wisconson Winged Bannerstone
- Identification Number
- 77.30.1
- Type of Item
- bannerstone
- Material
- spotted porphy stone
- Overall
- length 4.375 in, width 5.625 in
Where
- Holding Institution
- Brooklyn Museum
When
- Creation Date
- between 4001 BCE and 2001 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