Authentic Mississippian Pitted Discoidal (Chunkey Stone)

Description

Authentic Mississippian Pitted Discoidal (Chunkey Stone)

• Origin: Surface-recovered from private land in Eastern Arkansas.

• Period: Mississippian (c. 1000–1400 AD).

• Details: Hand-ground hardstone with deep biconcave pits on both faces. This classic game stone represents the complex social and athletic life of the Mississippian culture. A rare, high-status artifact for any serious collector of Southeastern lithics.

This artifact is a Discoidal, often referred to by collectors as a “Chunkey Stone.”

These are highly prized finds in the Mississippi River Valley and represent one of the most culturally significant items from the Mississippian Period (roughly 800 AD to 1500 AD).

Artifact Identification

• The Game of Chunkey: These stones were used in a popular and often high-stakes game. A player would roll the stone across a smooth clay court, and others would throw spears to mark where they thought the stone would stop rolling.

• Design: This is a “pitted” or “biconcave” discoidal, meaning it has indentations ground into both sides. This design allowed for a better grip when rolling and influenced how the stone balanced and tipped as it slowed down.

• Material: Likely a dense river stone or greenstone. The smooth, circular symmetry was achieved through weeks of grinding with abrasive sand and water.

• Cultural Context: In Eastern Arkansas (part of the Mississippian “shatter zone”), these were symbols of status. Great care was taken in their creation, and they were often passed down through generations.