~ Late Mississippian Georgia ~ Circle Roller ~ Game Stone~

Height: 1 5/8" x 2 5/8" wide

Grade: 10

Description: Late Mississippian Protohistoric (1500-1600 AD.) 'Circle Roller' Game Stone made of ferriganous Quartz. Pecked, ground and polished and purposefully formed to roll on the ground in a circular pattern. These were used in a game of chance in which each contestant would kneel down and roll the disc on a hard clay course toward a series of slots. The game was similar to bowling, and much like the modern arcade game called Skee-Ball, a game where players roll a ball up an inclined lane to land in holes with increasing point values. These stones are unique, because they are carved slightly heavier on one side, causing them to roll in a curve when rolled down an alley. The game involves rolling the stone down the alley and into one of the pockets at the end, with the curve adding a layer of skill and strategy to the game. (See the last picture).

These stones have been primarily found in Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas, and archaeological evidence has revealed two intact "bowling" alleys where these games were played. One of these alleys was discovered in Rabun County, Georgia, and another in Monroe County, Georgia, near the Ocmulgee and Towaliga Rivers.

Provenance: Found many years ago on private property with permission. Found in North Georgia -Talledega Co. Georgia.