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HAMMERSTONE
Unique ID: CORN-851C25
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
Igneous rock cobble, probably greenstone but awaiting geological comment by Roger Taylor. The cobble is circular in plan and almost circular, but bun-shaped with a flat base, in profile and section. There is some pecking on the upper surface and the sides of the stone, where some larger flakes have been removed, and the base is ground flat, 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 48, Fig.12, Nos.S5 & S6, and the Later Bronze Age site at Callestick, Perranzabuloe illustrated in Jones (2002) on page 32, Fig.13, No.87.
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: 73 mm
Width: 71 mm
Thickness: 62 mm
Weight: 482.25 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Wednesday 9th September 2009 - Wednesday 9th September 2009
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Other reference: 566.10
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 | 48, Fig.12, | Nos.S5 & S6 | |
| Jones, A.M. | 2002 | The excavation of a later Bronze Age structure at Callestick | Bristol | J.W. Arrowsmith Ltd. | 32, Fig.13, | No.87 |
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Timeline of associated dates
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