Description

Summary: 1 prestigious hammer of polished siliceous hornstone, each end finely cut to an oval form, found with a primary inhumation in the bowl barrow, Amesbury G54, excavated by William Cunnington

Research results

A Bronze age polished rectangular stone, found with a primary inhumation in the bowl barrow Amesbury G54, excavated by William Cunnington in the early 19th century. The stone was found with a flint dagger and a number of beads of amber and faience. It is made of highly polished non-local banded siltstone, and was probably highly prized.

This object has been discussed by Boutoille (2019) as part of a preliminary survey of stone metal working tools in Britain and Ireland. She suggests that it's size and the choice of stone used make its identification as a whetstone by Stuart Piggott unlikely, and suggests that its smooth surfaces would have been useful in goldsmithing. She also notes the presence of an unanalysed gold streak on one face of the stone. She notes that the range of metal working tools found in Britain appears to be more limited than than on the continent, although that it would still have supported a range of methods. She also notes that metal working tools from graves in the Early Bronze Age only tend to consist of those for finer work, with heavier hammers known from other contexts.

This object was examined as part of the research published in Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods; a six-year research project carried out by Professor John Hunter and Dr Anne Woodward and funded by the Leverhulme Trust. Aided by a large number of other specialists the pair undertood an exhuastive study examining over 1000 objects held in 13 museums across the country in order to provide an extensive overview of burial practices in the period and identify regional practices.