Description

Summary: 1 small perforated whetstone of fine grit found with a primary cremation in a wooden box in Bowl Barrow Wilsford G43 (The Prophet Barrow), excavated by William Cunnington.

Research results

A Bronze age perforated whetstone excavated by William Cunnington from bowl barrow Wilsford G43 ('The Prophet Barrow'). It is one of a series of similar whetstone pendants found with Early Bronze Age graves and was in this case found with a dagger accompanying a primary cremation which had been deposited in a wooden box. Made from a fine grained sandstone, it was probably sourced relatively locally.

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.