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+--- Thread: Mystery Artefact (/showthread.php?tid=4202)
Mystery Artefact - BAJR - 25th November 2011
Found in an Iron Age context in Scotland within what (for want of a better word) is a Hillfort..
Lothians to be precise
I know what I think it is... but what do you think. ?
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if you can't see the images click the words attachment
If you can also give references.. I will love you forever
Mystery Artefact - RedEarth - 25th November 2011
Whetstone? Is that too obvious?
Mystery Artefact - Wax - 25th November 2011
Small anvil/pillow stone for fine metal working such as jewellery making?
Mystery Artefact - gumbo - 26th November 2011
ogham try out piece?
Mystery Artefact - TadPoles - 26th November 2011
I would say a whetstone.
Mystery Artefact - gumbo - 26th November 2011
oh yeh forget my idea! in my post friday beer goggles i didnt look at the scale or the date of the site! oops
Mystery Artefact - Land-Escapist - 26th November 2011
Is there any chance of some fancy scientific analysis to check out if any residues are left in any of the incisions to indicate use? If it is fine metalworking that would be amazing as I think only a couple of sites in that area (Traprain and possibly Phantassie) have evidence for that!
Im quite excited about this, lol
Mystery Artefact - BAJR - 26th November 2011
I think that would be worthwhile!
My feeling is that it is too frequent in regular scarring to be a tally stone and a whet stone, each scratch is once only... so it makes me think of - as has been said a padstone for cutting - I thought leather... but metal working... hmmm I like
Now I actually have another one as well from the same site. same stone same regular short 'cuts'
I wonder where I could;d get analysis done? would need help in funding though... yes you guessed it... its not development work
Thatnks for teh suggestions Land... I will jump to me copy of the trap Environs and teh A1 book as well.
Mystery Artefact - Dinosaur - 26th November 2011
People demonstrating the use of the ard on stony ground seem to go forward in short jumps which might leave short grooves on any stones the ard was going over, but I'd imagine you've already discounted that? Were they lying grooved face upwards? I've seen stones around here with quite short grooves on aligned to plough-direction
Mystery Artefact - Dirty Dave Lincoln - 26th November 2011
What you need is a drawing of all the scratch marks, maybe then any patterns will stand out. Looking at them, I get the impression that there could be a series of scratches over-lapping each other, but done at different times.