Probiersteine als Prüfstein der Archäologie. Nachweis und Kontexte eines Hilfsmittels zur Metallanalyse im Mittelalter

Abstract

European archaeological collections record thousands of stone artefacts from the Middle Ages described as whetstones. Using electron microscopy, authors have uncovered traces of non-ferrous metals, including precious metals, on a number of these artefacts, which feature a characteristic shape and, typically, raw material. While similar artefacts are undoubtedly whetstones in the majority of cases, many of the finds originally identified as such served in fact as touchstones – tools to test the quality of a particular metal. Artefacts of this kind are concentrated mainly in Viking Age and Slavic coastal settlements and trade centres in the Baltic Sea basin, at Central European castles and suburbia beneath them from the 9th to 13th centuries; finds also come from rural settings, including graveyards. They are known from Avar and Merovingian period graves as well as the Anglo-Saxon, Baltic and East Slavic environment.

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