Bannerstones of the North American Indian

Used with permission from Dr. Anna Blume Attached below is a downloadable PDF of the entire text of Byron Knoblock’s 1939 Banner-stones of the North American Indian. This 595-page tome, now out of print and difficult to find, was the first rigorous, comprehensive study of bannerstones. In it, Knoblock includes hundreds of images of bannerstones in […]

A Salute To David L. Lutz

by Richard Michael Gramly, PhD THE ARCHAIC BANNERSTONE: ITS CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY AND PURPOSE FROM 6000 B.C. TO 1000 B.C.  by DAVID L. LUTZ Bannerstones exist both in art and anthropology. David L. Lutz, who has both a collector’s sensitivity and for­mal training in anthropology, knows this fact. Other long­time students of the subject also appreci­ate the fact […]

Terry McGuire And Ed Harvey Bannerstone Collections

(Terry McGuire photo) Hardstone banners from upper left: horned with shaft flute, 2.8″, Illinois. green quartz horned 2.75″ Southern Illinois. granite horned 3.25″, Mercer Co., OH. Wisconsin winged 4″, St. Clair Co., IL. ferruginous quartz hourglass 2.4″, Holmes Co., OH. conglomerate granite shuttle 3.5″ Slate banners from the upper left: black glacial slate double-notched butterfly […]

Native American Hunting Technique

THE ATLATL HOOK AND WEIGHT David Lutz Collection, Newburgh, Indiana The atlatl hook and weight combination is not only a fascinating insight into the hunting technique that Native Americans used in the spear thrower, but also acts as a temporal maker.  Webb (1939) first surmised from finds at Chiggerville, that the combination of hook and […]

A Chronology Of Bannerstones

Our understanding of banner types of the late Archaic Period is much better than the previous period due to the larger number of sites excavated in Northern Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. My interest in this project began with an incredible find made by my father on a river bank near the town of Rockport in […]

A Look At Butterfly and Winged Bannerstones

The Differing Variations by: Bill Koup Albuquerque, New Mexico The Butterfly or Winged bannerstone of banded slate is probably the most popular and sought after form of bannerstone among collectors. Few other bannerstones attract as much attention as a beautiful ultimate-design Butterfly banner. Certainly there are many other bannerstone forms of remarkable design or of exotic […]

The Unique Styles Of Mississippi Benton Phase Tubular Bannerstones

by: J. Neal Brown, Ph.D., Natchez, Mississippi Originally Published in the Central States Archaeological Journal, Vol.55, No.1, pg.40 The tubular type bannerstone was a favorite of the Benton Culture. Many tubular type bannerstones have been found in the state of Mississippi, primarily within the geographical area known to have been occupied by Benton Peoples. The Benton […]

Unique Bannerstone Finds

by V Gary Henry, Asheville, North Carolina Originally Published in the Central States Archaeological Journal, Vol.56, No.4, pg.200 Originally Published in the Central States Archaeological Journal, Vol.57, No.2, pg.72 In 1978, I located to Asheville, North Carolina, where I still reside. Several stories from this time period are remembered. One of the most rare arti­facts […]

What Were Bannerstones Used For?

SO, what were Bannerstone used for? Unfortunately, a definitive answer is not yet available. Over the years, numerous researchers have tackled the problem of Bannerstones, only to walk away from their efforts still not knowing for sure what they had been studying. People have long been fascinated by Bannerstones. Their greatest appeal is due to their desirability […]

Introduction to Bannerstones

by: Charlie Wagers, Fairfield, Ohio This issue of Prehistoric American is dedicated to the bannerstone, a prehistoric artform which captures the imagination and love of most all artifact collectors.  The bannerstone probably comes in a wider variety of forms and materials than any other prehistoric artifact type.  They are found made from the most beautiful quartz to […]