Grounding stone implements
Introduction
Ground stone knives
Adzes and chisels
Ground utensils with multiple perforations
Stone spearheads
Stone arrowheads
Halberds

Ground stone knives

¡@A total of 25 ground stone knives were unearthed at the site, all broken and incomplete. In terms of raw materials they were made of slate, ground all over and in most cases with perforation in them. In terms of shape the knives were long and flat with the cutting edge on the longest side. Knives can clearly be divided into two types; rectangular and half moon shaped. Of the knives unearthed 24 were rectangular in shape and only one half moon shaped. No saddle-shaped stone knives were found.


(1) Rectangular stone knives: When these are restored to their original appearance they are broadly rectangular. The two long sides are divided into the cutting and back of the stone knife, with two short sides as the end parts.
¡@
The cutting edges and back part of the knife are more or less parallel, with the two short sides usually hanging vertically by the longer sides. In a few samples the end is at an angle giving the knife a slightly staggered shape. There is also one sample where the end aches inwards and two where the end is ground into a cutting edge. The cutting edge is located on the long side of the knife and is ground into a flat point with the line of the blade usually either straight or arched inwards. Signs of use indicate only slight deterioration, concentrated mainly in the area at the center of the cutting edge. At the center close to the back of the knife there are 1-2 perforation and despite the fact that many of the samples are incomplete it does seem as though these perforation were a standard feature. In the case of two samples there are multiple circular indentations that were not drilled all the way through probably some kind of decorative motif. Archaeologists tend to believe that tools of this nature were tied in rope and held in the hand when harvesting crops.


(2) Half moon stone knives: In terms of shape these have a straight back and a blade that arches outwards. The blade is placed in the center with a handle at one end and no perforation. From its external appearance it would seem that a wooden handle has to be added, making it look like any ordinary knife. Its main use was probably for cutting things. In terms of shape, the way in which it is held and signs of usage it is likely that this sort of knife had a function that was distinct from that of the rectangular knife.

                

            

            

            

            

            

            

            

            

            

            

            

            

            

            

++  Go Home  ++ ++  Go Top  ++