544 Polygonal Grinding Stone of Quartzite. 



Mr John Evans, in his work on " The Ancient Stone Imple- 

 ments, Weapons, and Ornaments of Great Britain " (London 

 1872), after mentioning the fact that the grindstones on which 

 stone celts were polished and sharpened were not like those of the 

 present day, revolving discs against the periphery of which the 

 implements to be polished or sharpened were rubbed, presents a 

 summary of the evidence regarding them as follows : — 



" Considering the numbers of polished implements that have 

 been discovered in this country, it appears not a little remarkable 

 that such slabs have not been more frequently noticed, though 

 not improbably they have, from their simple character, for the 

 most part escaped observation ; and even if found, there is usually 

 little, unless the circumstances of the discovery are peculiar, to 

 connect them with any particular stage of civilization or period 

 of antiquity. In Denmark and Sweden, however, these grinding 

 stones, both of the flat and polygonal forms, are of comparatively 

 frequent ocurrence. Specimens are figured by Worsaae ('Nor- 

 diske Oldsager ' Nos. 35 and 36) and were also given by Thorn- 

 sen so long ago as 183':^ ('Tidskrift for Oldkyndighed,' vol. i. pi. 

 ii p. 423). He states that they have been found in Scandinavia 

 in barrows and elsewhere in the ground with half finished stone 

 celts lying with them, so that there can be no doubt as to the 

 purpose for which they were intended " p. 235;. Mr Evans then 

 states that several of the grinding stones found in this country 

 resemble those of polygonal form found in Denmark, being sym- 

 metrically shaped, and showing marks of use on all their faces. 

 He figures one from Dorchester, now in the Christy collection, 

 9:^ inches long, which has both the faces and sides worn slightly 

 concave as if from grinding convex surfaces such as the edges of 

 celts, ' ' though it is impossible to say with any degree of certain- 

 ty that 

 238-9). 



