An Unexplored Realm in the Heartland of the Southern Gulf ... - Famsi

Figure 5.49. Basalt fragments ground to point along lateral edge
Relative to other lithic tools, the proposed polishing implements appear with
exceptional frequency and in various forms. These pieces were recovered across the site
in all chronological contexts (Figure 5.50). Some were fashioned from igneous rock,
others from nuggets of river gravel, still others from unidentified fine-grained stones.
Macroscopic examination revealed these pieces to have highly smoothed edges and
striated wear patterns consistent with the smoothing and burnishing of ceramics as well
as other stone items (Sinopoli 1991:24-26; Sullivan 1988).
Polishing stones recovered in the Southern Gulf Lowlands have been identified as
tools used in the finishing of stone and ceramic artifacts. Fine polishing was required to
produce celts, masks, discs, and figurines of jade, serpentine, and other greenstones
(Benson 1981b; Ortíz and Rodríguez 2000; Pohl et al. 2002). The brilliantly polished
concave mirrors fabricated from iron oxide ores (hematite, ilmenite, and magnetite),
pyrite, marcasite, and obsidian are examples of the advanced technological skills of
Formative period lapidaries (Carlson 1981; Heizer and Gullberg 1981). Polishing stones
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