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HAMMERSTONE
Unique ID: CORN-808B47
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
Veined igneous rock cobble, probably greenstone but awaiting geological comment by Roger Taylor. The cobble is triangular in plan and plano-convex in profile and section, with a vein running obliquely through the stone, which looks like a fracture. There is some pecking on the upper surface and grinding on the flattened sides and base, suggesting hammerstone and pestle use. Such pieces do turn up on domestic sites but not in any quantity compared to mullers and rubbers. On these objects the waterworn cobble surfaces are all fresh and unweathered, appropriate for selection from a beach during the Neolithic. The beach selection would ensure hard enduring pieces. It is quite possible that the wear on these objects has been caused by grinding pieces in the axe manufacture process (Henrietta Quinnell, Clodgy Moor stonework, forthcoming).
Examples of hammerstones and pestles have been found on Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in Cornwall, such as the Beaker site at Boscaswell, St Just, illustrated in Jones and Quinnell (2008) on page 47, Fig.11, No.S2, and the Middle Bronze Age site at Scarcewater, St Stephens, illustrated in Jones and Taylor (2010) on page 122, Fig.60, No.226, and the Later Bronze Age site at Callestick, Perranzabuloe illustrated in Jones (2002) on page 29, Fig.12, No.101.
Subsequent actions
Current location of find: Royal Cornwall Museum
Subsequent action after recording: Donated to a museum
Chronology
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: NEOLITHIC
Subperiod to: Late
Period to: BRONZE AGE
Date from: Circa 4500 BC
Date to: Circa 700 BC
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 83 mm
Width: 67 mm
Thickness: 59 mm
Weight: 403.55 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Monday 28th April 2008 - Monday 28th April 2008
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Other reference: 550.3
Museum accession number: 2011.23
Materials and construction
Primary material: Stone
Manufacture method: Ground/polished
Completeness: Complete
Spatial metadata
Region: South West (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Cornwall (Unitary Authority)
District: Cornwall (Unitary Authority)
Parish or ward: Paul (Civil Parish)
Spatial coordinates
4 Figure: SW4526
Four figure Latitude: 50.079285
Four figure longitude: -5.565627
1:25K map: SW4526
1:10K map: SW46SE
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jones, A. and Quinnell, H. | 2008 | Cornish Beakers: new discoveries and perspectives | Bristol | Cornwall Archaeological Society | 47, Fig.11, | No.S2 | |
| Jones, A.M. | 2002 | The excavation of a later Bronze Age structure at Callestick | Bristol | J.W. Arrowsmith Ltd. | 29, Fig.12, | No.101 |
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Timeline of associated dates
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