Roman whetstone production in northern Gaul (Belgium and northern France)

Abstract

Abstract:This paper focuses on the latest research on the production of Roman whetstones in northern Gaul. To date, little has been written about this specialised industry. However, three workshops producing whetstones were discovered recently in the north of Gaul in Buizingen (Province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium), Nereth (Province of Liège, Belgium) and Le Châtelet-sur-Sormonne (Department of Ardennes, France). Production debris and rough-outs recovered at these sites allowed us to reconstruct the operational sequence of manufacture, from the choice of raw material to the finished product. Technological studies enabled us to determine the production stages and highlight the similarities and differences between the three study areas. Analyses of the materials reveal the use of fine-grained sedimentary and low-grade metamorphic rocks outcropping near the workshops. All these rocks are linked to the Caledonian inliers of Brabant-London, Stavelot-Venn, and Rocroi. The large amount of waste found at Le Châtelet-sur-Sormonne, far more than that recovered at Buizingen and Nereth, is indicative of the economic importance of this whetstone workshop. This importance is reflected in the fact that whetstones from Le Châtelet-sur-Sormonne are distributed over a large area throughout Belgium, France (Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Picardie and Champagne-Ardenne regions), Germany, and the Netherlands. This paper presents the waste and rough-outs from the three production sites. It also defines rock types and their origins and offers insights into whetstone manufacturing processes and techniques.

Cross‐channel Connectivity: Wealden Whetstone Imports From Roman Britain to the Continent

“…; Thiébaux et al . ). Additionally, Lower Devonian quartzitic sandstones from the Belgian Ardennes and/or the Rhineland were used for carving whetstones.…”

“…Presently, only three whetstone workshops for processing the raw materials are known in the study region (Thiébaux et al . ). They are located in Nereth (Belgium, Province of Liège; Hanut et al .…”

“…; Thiébaux et al . ), all exploiting hard Lower Paleozoic rocks. The latter site is associated with a major stone industry with a very widespread distribution.…”

Introduction. Leave no stone unturned: Perspectives on ground stone artefact research

“…In addition, specific studies dealing with particular segments of the ground stone tool repertoire, some with specific function or functions, are becoming more common (e.g., Takaoǧlu 2006;Basgall 2008;Beaumont & Bednarik 2015;Nadel & Rosenberg 2015;Reich 2015;Bekker & Garfinkel 2016;Breglia et al 2016;Ilan 2016;Larocca 2016;Thiébaux et al 2016;Usacheva 2016). Studies based on historical sources (see, for example, Lang 2016) and ethnographic observations (e.g., Cane 1989;Hamon & Le Gall 2013;Robitaille 2016) are also significant and important contributions in recent years.…”