Kto się nie leni, zrobi złoto z kamieni77 – whetstones in early medieval graves

1Since the dawn of history humans have been interested in using stones for a variety of purposes. The use of rocks and stones as shelters, building material or resource for the production of tools or weapons is a cultural phenomenon. One of the categories of stone objects recorded in graves at early medieval cemeteries includes whetstones. The present study is devoted to whetstones registered in graves at the cemetery at Dziekanowice, site 22 (gmina Łubowo, województwo wielkopolskie). This early medieval necropolis is located on the east shore of Lake Lednica in the direct vicinity of one of the major stronghold centres of the Piast dynasty. The stronghold itself is situated on Ostrów – an island on Lake Lednica. Out of 1585 skeletal graves recorded in situ at the studied cemetery, 847 (53.4%) burials contained altogether 1868 objects considered as grave deposits. In the group of those artifacts were 28 whetstones found in 27 graves (one grave contained 2 whetstones), which account for 3.2 percent of the total number of burials with equipment. In addition, 7 whetstones were recorded loosely at the border between layer I and II (they were damaged by ploughing), and in settlement features; however, these objects are not included in the study. The majority of graves with whetstones unearthed at the cemetery at Dziekanowice were male burials. As many as 21 graves belonged to men, 5 to women and only one to a child. Previous research and publications on cemeteries do not facilitate an ambiguous interpretation of the function of whetstones recorded in graves, although utilitarian character of these objects is unquestionable. It can also be asserted that whetstones were buried more often in male graves, and most often in adult graves. They occurred both in “richer” burials and in those characterized by modest equipment. The new light on the function of some whetstones has been shed by the results of analyses carried out by Martin Ježek from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. His recent spectral analysis of whetstone surfaces has allowed the hypothesis that whetstones (particularly phyllite ones) may have been used as touchstones. The analysis based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS method) revealed residues of metals on the surface of the examined objects. The microanalysis has proven the existence of micro-traces of metals such as gold, silver, tin and copper. In sum, the hypothesis about a special function of the whetstones cannot be excluded. This may apply particularly to the objects with scant traces of polishing, in contrast to whetstones with strongly polished and characteristic concave surfaces resulting from frequent sharpening. The whetstones with scant traces of polishing may have been used not only as sharpening tools, but also (and maybe primarily) as items against which a precious metal was rubbed in order to check its value and the quality of alloy. Identifying the function of whetstones as touchstones creates new possibilities for discussing the problems associated with social stratification and with distinguishing between “richer” and “poorer” graves. A whetstone-touchstone found in a grave gives its owner a different rank in the society than we previously assumed interpreting the object only as a sharpening tool. Undoubtedly, the analysis of social stratification should involve by far more elements than is widely regarded as vital. In addition, whetstones-touchstones may also become important objects for the analysis of trading places and exchange in the Early Middle Ages