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Public Domain

La Tolita and La Tolita-Tumaco

Fish shaped grater

La Tolita, 300-500

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Fish shaped grater

La Tolita, 300-500

Physical Qualities Earthenware, red slip, 11/16 × 9 1/2 × 3 3/4 in. (1.7 × 24.2 × 9.5 cm.)
Credit Line Gift of Phyllis K. and A. Harvey Schreter, Baltimore
Object Number 1989.607
Flat clay slab in the shape of a fish (profile) incised in the center with deep grooves arranged in parallel rows. The head of the fish is missing and the object is broken and repaired in several places. These objects functioned as food processors -- grinding, grating, and scaling tools, and are commonly called "fish scalers." Comparable examples are marked by punctate or roughened centers; some reported to contain obsidian flakes.

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