Written in Stone: Papers on the function, form, and provenancing of prehistoric stone objects in memory of Fiona Roe

Prehistoric Britain has generated an enormous number and wide variety of stone objects, but few books deal specifically with stone tools that are not flint. This book brings together papers from 22 of the UK’s archaeologists investigating the stone objects that were fundamental to the daily lives of prehistoric people. The book is divided into four sections. Part 1 is a short section designed to introduce the reader to the range of stone objects used in prehistory. Part 2 contains papers that deal with the petrology and typology of axeheads, maceheads, battle axes and felsite tools. Papers in Part 3 are about function, form and dating of querns. Part 4 is a broad ranging section dealing with ‘other’ types of artefacts and materials, from considerations of the form and function of bracers, loomweights, Bronze Age jewellery and polissoirs, to the use of materials such as beach resources and chalk. The book will appeal to scholars of prehistory, and to anyone with an interest in the exploitation of stone resources and the function and form of the resulting objects. It is intended as a tribute to Fiona Roe, FSA. Fiona worked tirelessly on all aspects of stone artefacts and encouraged, supported and inspired many scholars to embark on studies of them. This book would not have been possible without the groundwork that she laid during the last five decades.