Typology Example 1, AMNH DK/664
Shield bannerstone; Massachusetts, phyllite, h. 15, w. 11 cm.
With the Shield bannerstone AMNH DK/664 from Essex County, Massachusetts, the standard front and back view with metric marker represents the scale and familiar Shield bannerstone type commonly found along the northern Atlantic coast. Photographing the top and or bottom of the stone lying down reveals the very thin wings in contrast to the center spine of the stone where the sculptor drilled a 2.0cm perforation. Photographing the stone at a diagonal angle further reveals the overall composition of the stone and the extraordinary skill needed to sculpt this shape out of phyllite similar in hardness to slate, but with noticeable flecks of mica clearly visible on the polished surface of the stone.