Anciently Salvaged Gorget From Tennessee	by John M. Selmer
Central States Archaeological Societies 2025 April Journal	Herndon, Virginia

Figure 1. The anciently salvaged gorget (obverse and reverse). Collection of the Author

One of my collecting areas is anciently salvaged artifacts. Each one tells a story. When an artifact was broken in ancient times, it would sometimes be repaired or repurposed for continued use. I consider salvaged pieces fascinating and unique; sometimes even more so than whole, unbroken artifacts.

Figure 1 shows both sides of a salvaged rectangular two-hole gorget. In ancient times, the gorget snapped at one of the holes. Two new holes were drilled so the two halves could be sewn back together with sinew and continue to be utilized as a gorget. At some point the sinew gave way and the other half of the gorget was lost. Instead of discarding this portion, the owner decided to use it as a whetstone for sharpening bone tools to develop fine perforator tips. Two deep-use wear channels are worn into both sides of the whetstone. The piece was ...

 

Read the complete "Anciently Salvaged Gorget From Tennessee" column in the Central States Archaeological Societies 2025 April Journal which can be purchased on-line after March 2026