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HEMISPHERES
ILLINOIS
LATE ARCHAIC / WOODLAND
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COPYRIGHT APRIL 30, 2011 PETER A. BOSTROM
16 hemispheres from Illinois.
HEMISPHERES
ILLINOIS

Abstract image of hemispheres.

ABSTRACT
HEMISPHERES

ILLINOIS

   This article illustrates and describes eighteen examples of hemispheres from Illinois plus two early illustrations of two from Kentucky. These ground and polished stone artifacts are often referred to as "problematical objects." Although a large number of them have been found on Late Archaic and Woodland sites, their purpose has still not been defined. The most common suggestion is that they were used for atlatl (spear thrower) weights.
    Eleven of the hemispheres illustrated in this report were surface collected in cultivated fields in Madison and St. Clair Counties in Illinois by Larry Burns. Four other hemispheres were found in the same area by Delmont Pearson.

    "(Hemispheres are) Small objects, usually of polished stones, the use of which has not been fully determined; they are therefore classed with problematical objects."---1912, Frederick Webb Hodge, "Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico" pp. 542-543.
     "Hemispheric stones, like the cones, can receive a name only from the form and not from any known or imaged use to which they could have been applied."---1896, J. W. Powell, "Thirteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology," p. 114-115.
    "Although rarely dated in Ohio, A hematite hemisphere from a sub-plow-zone context was recovered adjacent to a Late Archaic pit feature at the Ohio Horse Park site in southern Scioto County that yielded a cal 3277 P.B. age."
---2003, Matthew P. Purtill, "Phase III Archaeological Investigations Of The Ohio Horse Park Site" p. 56.
   
"This material (hematite) was used to manufacture a range of artifacts, including plummets, miniature celts, and hemispheres, all of which continued to be made well into Woodland times."---2009, Matthew P. Purtill, "Archaic Cultural Variation And Lifeways In West-Central Illinois," The Ohio Archaic: A Review, p. 67.

Abstract images of hemispheres.
 
HEMISPHERES
LATE ARCHAIC / WOODLAND
ILLINOIS

    Hemispheres are enigmatic artifacts that have no clear identity. In fact, they are often referred to as "problematical objects." Most artifact types were identified many years ago. But hemispheres have no distinguishing qualities that can be used to prove how they were used. Large enough numbers of them have been found that it may be logical to believe they were utilitarian objects rather than some type of ritual artifact.

Polished granite hemisphere from St. Clair Co., Illinois.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
HEMISPHERE
ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILLINOIS
LATE ARCHAIC / WOODLAND

     This picture shows all four sides of a hemisphere that was found several years ago in a cultivated field in St. Clair County, Illinois. It's a better than average example. It was uniformly pecked into shape with a hammerstone the same way axes and celts were made. The surface was then polished and further shaped by grinding against an abrasive stone using water as a lubricant. This hemisphere was made from granite and it measures 1 5/8 inches (4.1 cm) long, 1 1/4 inches (3.2 cm) high and 1 1/16 inches (2.7 cm) thick.

     Hemispheres seem to date to the late Archaic period and well into the Middle Woodland period. One example, made of hematite, was excavated in Ohio on the Horse Park site in southern Scioto County. It was discovered below the plow zone next to a Late Archaic pit that was cal dated to 3277 before present. Hemispheres also seem to be reported from Adena and Hopewell sites.

18 hemispheres from Illinois.
CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE
HEMISPHERES
ILLINOIS
LATE ARCHAIC / WOODLAND

    These eighteen hemispheres were found in Illinois. Most of them were found in either Madison or St. Clair Counties. They illustrate a wide range of craftsmanship and materials. Most of them are made of different types of hard stones. The hardest is granite and quartz. The stone located in the second row and second from the left is made of quartz. The hemispheres located at top left and the second one to the right of it are made of hematite. A fairly large number of hemispheres are reported to have been made of hematite.
    All of these hemispheres have a generally round shape on top with a flat side on the bottom. Their basic circular outline extends slightly beyond the center point of a circle. Some are almost circles. But they all have a straight flat surface on one side that allows them to stand up very straight without leaning to one side. The craftsman seems to have needed a steady base upon which they could rest. The largest hemisphere in this group measures 2 1/32 inches (5.1 cm) long, 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) high and 1 3/16 inches (3.1 cm) thick. The smallest, which is an unfinished example located at left in second row, measures 1 9/16 inches (4 cm) long, 1 5/16 inches (3.3 cm) high and 1 3/16 inches (3 cm) thick. They range in weight from 58 grams to 104 grams. The heaviest is made of hematite. All of the weights are 2 @ 58 grams, 5 @ 60 grams, 61 gr, 2 @ 70 gr, 74 gr, 80 gr, 88 gr, 90 gr, 98 gr, 100 gr, 102 gr, and 104 grams. The average weight is 75.16 grams.

     Hemispheres are reported over a wide area in the Central Mississippi Valley and states farther to the east. Many of them have been found on Woodland sites in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Missouri.

An unfinished hemisphere made from a pebble, Illinois.
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HEMISPHERE
ILLINOIS
LATE ARCHAIC / WOODLAND

    This hemisphere was found several years ago by Delmont Person, probably in Madison County, Illinois. It's the smallest example in the group that is illustrated in this report. There was no attempt to polish any of the surfaces. The pecking marks are still very evident. It appears that this example may not have been completed. Each side still has some remnant of the original outer cortex of the pebble it was made from. This example clearly shows that some of these hemispheres were probably made from small pebbles that didn't need to much work to finished them out. This hemisphere measures 1 9/16 inches (4 cm) long, 1 5/16 inches (3.3 cm) high and 1 3/16 inches (3 cm) thick.

      Hemisphere and loafstone are the terms most often used to refer to these artifacts. The word hemisphere seems to be used more often in archaeological reports and the word loafstone seems to be used more often by collectors. Both names are descriptive terms that describe their shape. The "classic" shape of a hemisphere is a narrow stone that has a circular outline on the outer edge except for one straight flat side. This is the general shape, but like any other artifact type there are variations. They all don't have the nice round shape and some are even reported to have grooves on the ends or over the top. An 1896 Smithsonian Report describes them as: "In all, the base is flat and varies in outline from almost a circle to a narrow ellipse. A section of the stone parallel to either axis of the base varies from a little more to a little less than a semicircle."

Two hemispheres made of hematite, Illinois.
HEMISPHERES MADE OF HEMATITE
ILLINOIS
LATE ARCHAIC / WOODLAND

     Both of these hemispheres are made of hematite which is a mineral form of iron oxide. This material was used all over the world for tens of thousands of years (even Neanderthals) to make red pigment. It's likely that these hemispheres were made during the process of making red pigment in the same way as the manufacture of plummets. Many hemispheres are reported to have been made from hematite. This material is heavy and would have provided a good amount of weight if its intended purpose was for an atlatl weight. This picture also illustrates the difference in quality of manufacture. The one above has a good outline but a rough surface. The example below also has a nice outline but the surface is finely polished.

     The quality of manufacture varies greatly in hemispheres. The most impressive examples are made of hard stone that was pecked and polished into a nice symmetrical form with sharp edges. But many hemispheres were only roughly shaped with a hammerstone with no attempt to smooth the surface. The wide margin of craftsmanship compares to such utilitarian artifacts as axes and celts. Such a large number of rough forms of hemispheres would argue that these artifacts may have been used for some type of utilitarian rather than ritual purpose.

3 hemispheres made of hematite, quartz and granite.
HEMISPHERES MADE FROM
HEMATITE, QUARTZ AND GRANITE

ILLINOIS
LATE ARCHAIC / WOODLAND

     Hemispheres were made from many different types of stones. They seem to have been made from harder and heavier materials. Rather than using lighter more fragile materials such as Catlinite or flint clay, it seems that the preferred choice was harder and heavier materials. The hemisphere at left, in the above picture, is made of hematite. Hemispheres made from this heavy mineral form of iron oxide are reported from several different states. At 104 grams, it's the heaviest example of the 18 illustrated in this report. Some hemispheres are also reported to have been made from galena (lead). The example in the center is made of quartz, another hard stone. The example on the right is made of granite.

      Some of the 18 hemispheres in this group appear to have been made from small pebbles. In fact, one of them may not be quite finished because the original outer cortex of the stone is visible on all sides. It's easy-to-see that it was made from a small pebble that was symmetrically shaped by pecking with a hammerstone. Further grinding and polishing would have removed all surface evidence that it was made from a pebble. But it's logical to believe that it would have been much easier to select a small creek pebble, with a hemisphere shape, to make one of these artifacts.

Unpolished and polished hemispheres from Illinois.
HEMISPHERES
ILLINOIS
LATE ARCHAIC / WOODLAND

    This picture shows two hemispheres that have different surface finishes. The example at top was pecked into shape with no attempt to smooth the surface. The lower example has a smoother surface that was accomplished by grinding on an abrading stone using water as a lubricant.

     Most hemispheres seem to have been made from harder more durable stone and minerals. Large numbers of them were made from hard stones such as granite. Some were made from quartz and a few have been reported to be made from galena (lead). A good percentage of them are also made of hematite. The hemispheres made from galena and hematite would have produced white (galena) and red (hematite) pigments during their manufacturing process. It's interesting to note that these heavier minerals would produce a heavier weight in a small artifact that might argue for its use as an atlatl weight. Most hemispheres seem to be made from the more durable stones that might also be an indication they were used as atlatl weights.

9 hemispheres standing upright resting on their flat bases.
HEMISPHERES
STANDING ON FLAT BASE

ILLINOIS
LATE ARCHAIC / WOODLAND

    This picture shows a view from above of nine hemispheres resting on their flat bases. Producing a flat base during the manufacturing process seems to have been a desired trait of the finished product. All 18 of the hemispheres illustrated in this report stand very straight on their bases without leaning to one side. If it was so important to produce a straight flat base this might suggest that they were attached to another flat surface, possibly as an atlatl weight.

     The most common suggestion of how hemispheres may have been used are as atlatl (spear thrower) weights. Although most all of them have no drilled holes, grooving or notching they could have been held in place with hide material. Plains Indian's war clubs held stone balls securely in place with hide wrapping. Because hemispheres are usually much smaller than most bannerstones they might also have been used for children's "learning toys." If hemispheres were used as atlatl weights, they would have been much easier to make without the drilled hole that bannerstones traditionally have.

1896 illustrations of hemispheres from Kentucky.
EARLY HEMISPHERE ILLUSTRATION, 1896
SMITHSONIAN BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY

BRACKEN COUNTY, KENTUCKY
LATE ARCHAIC / WOODLAND

    This may be the earliest illustration of a hemisphere. It was published in 1896 in the 13th Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The report describes Hemispheres as: "Hemispheric stones, like the cones, can receive a name only from the form and not from any known or imagined use to which they could have been applied. In all, the base is flat and varies in outline from almost a circle to a narrow ellipse. A section of the stone parallel to either axis of the base varies from a little more to a little less than a semicircle."

     Hemispheres have been identified as a type of artifact since the late 1800's. We have an understanding of how old they are, how they were made and what types of stones they were made from. But it may be a long time before archaeologists can prove how they were used. Until then, like cones and plummets, they're still "problematical objects."

"REFERENCES"

1896, Powell, J. W., "Thirteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology," p. 114-115.
1912, Hodge, Frederick Webb, "Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico" pp. 542-543.
2003
, Purtill, Matthew P., "Phase III Archaeological Investigations Of The Ohio Horse Park Site" p. 56.
2009
, Purtill, Matthew P., "Archaic Cultural Variation And Lifeways In West-Central Illinois," The Ohio Archaic: A Review, p. 67.

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