Bannerstone,

3000–2000 BCE

So-called bannerstones have long perplexed the farmers and others who have discovered geometric objects carved of beautiful stone throughout the Mississippi River Basin. It is now believed that they served as counterweights for spear-throwers—to increase leverage when throwing darts or spears, thus allowing for more forceful and distant strikes in hunting and warfare alike. The exotic stones selected for many bannerstones, as well as their fine symmetry and polish, likely indicate that they were prized items, demonstrating the dexterous skill of their users, the spiritual power of the spear-throwers, or the sociopolitical importance of their owners.