Crazy foundation finds

[Plumbata]

Well, that is one fascinating find!

Where, generally speaking, are you located?

I'd imagine that deciphering the 2 symbols pressed into the clay pendant/charm/talisman would be the best way to shine additional light on the mystery. There are probably some wicca/witchcraft/astrology/ancient wisdom type forums out there with people who may recognize the symbols. I don't buy any of the hocus, and even if the bone is indeed from a human child I don't find it creepy; just downright fascinating. Then again, I find disembodied old human skulls on shelves interesting as well. My shot in the dark is that it was a ward of protection, perhaps against the disease or environmental influences that led to the death of the owner of the bone. Perhaps a family moved to that spot and brought the bone and pendant to prove to the malignant spirits that a life had already been paid to them and that the home and family are to be spared a recurrance of the tragedy. Must be a darn wild story behind it all, whatever it is.

Be sure to keep all the scraps of wrapping it had and anything else that may have been placed in there. Bits of iron, hair, etc, if present. If the symbols do mean something and are identified, I wouldn't be surprised if the set would fetch hundreds or upwards of 1,000 bucks from a collector of such rare old assemblages, were you to sell.

 

[deenodean]

The finding of bones that were hidden in walls, basements etc to ward off ' evil spirits ' is an interesting theory. An 19th century home in Sydney N.S. Canada being renovated 2012 also revealed bones hidden behind the fireplace. Here is the article...
http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story/2012/11/09/ns-bone-house.html

The answer in your find might be in the clay tablet , if you could find a historian/ archaeologist that could interpret the symbols on the pendent / amulet . That fact that it is a child's bone wrapped in a cloth with that pendent / amulet smells like some sort of a ritualistic burial to me.
I would NOT be creeped out, remember, it is not the deceased who can harm , it is the living..

 

[squibby17]

No it is not animal hide..just dusty old cloth, it is in the picture with the bone. We are from the Blackstone Valley area. In Massachusetts.

 

[baltbottles]

There was a mid-evil practice of burring the corpse of a small child in a foundation of a newly constructed building for good luck. This could be a similar tradition or later variation of the same practice. It is very interesting in my opinion and I hope you can find out more.

Chris

 

[GACDIG]

I think it is an arm bone of a child that died and the family put one piece of property with the child and placed it there so the family will always be together. Sounds like a future Life Time movie here. []

 

[cowseatmaize]

The curve and holes look like it was some kind of marker. Placement for logs were usually carved in during the 1700's but maybe it's something like that. It reminds me of the much later telegraph pole markers.
Just a thought.

 

[coldwater diver]

There was a mid-evil practice of burring the corpse of a small child in a foundation of a newly constructed building for good luck. This could be a similar tradition or later variation of the same practice. It is very interesting in my opinion and I hope you can find out more.

Yikes! what would they do if none were available at the time? I wonder if there is the rest wrapped up in the foundation. They (early colonialists) may have had so little regard for the Natives that the above mentioned practice may not have been a problem and killed a small child. Squibby keep us posted as you learn more I would still like to see an overall view of where it was found. Kevin

 

[redbeardrelics]

This looks and sounds all too familiar to me. This past Christmas my wife was making sugar cookies with a similar pressed design, and I could not keep out of them while they cooled on the rack. She said if I did not leave them alone she would cut off my hand and bury it along a cookie in our cellar wall ! I said "if my hand offends thee, cut it off".lol

 

[Erik T]

Cool find could also be a Mojo bag im not sure where you live but voudou was practiced among slaves back in the day.

 

[squibby17]

Found in the corner of the wall