The special find of the week was removed from Trench H on Tuesday, creating excitement through the camp. First exposed in 2012, a decorated, flattened sub oval groundstone plaque was recovered by area supervisor Nat Franklin. Engraved on one side with two groups of longitudinal parallel lines, the object appears to have had a utilitarian as well as symbolic function as there is evidence of use on both sides. Pitting on the underside may indicate it was used as a pounder or hammerstone. Having spent many weeks last year awaiting removal the plaque will be analysed by groundstone specialist Dr. Adnan Baysal on his visit to site later in the season.
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at 9:07 am
Could it be a sharpening stone for blades , the flat area in the centre as a wet stone and the slots to run the blade through?
at 1:29 pm
Hi Linda,
No this groundstone was not used as a sharpening stone for blades. Obsidian blades found at this site could not have been sharpened or retouched on a tool like a whetstone. It is likely that the polished area was used for smoothing bone or wooden tools. The grooves may have been used for running or cutting thread, but they also seem to have been at least partly decorative.