Mesolithic stone decorated pebble - Collections Online | Museum Wales
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Mesolithic stone decorated pebble

From the Mesolithic hollow M90, a pebble of slightly micaceous silty sandstone. It is of flattish oval section, narrowing to a 'neck' ending in a break, which occured after decoration. Both broad faces A and B, are decorated with the design extending to one of the narrower sides.

Face A has two decorated areas, the lower has two roughly parallel lines, 10-12 mm apart, which run across the pebble. Then 30 lines were drawn between them, roughly at right angles; of these, 26 run all or most of the way between the two cross lines, while four extend only for short stretches. The upper decoration on A lies on the narrow neck, broken across, and is made up of three elements. the left hand element consists of two lines converging 16mm below the break. The'V' so formed is crossed and partly infilled by ten short lines. The central element has two parallel lines running 9mm down from the break crossed by four short lines. The right hand element has two lines surviving for 13mm, converging but not joining and crossed by three short lines.

Face B also has two areas of decoration. The lower, on the broadest part of the pebble, is made up of a series of criss-cross lines which are incised, some very deeply, parallel to the pebble axis; second are a group of lines angling more sharply down from left to right; and third are lines more sharply angled down from left to right. A few lines are strays, belonging to none of the groups. The upper motif on B extends c.20mm from the break. It consists of two curved parallel lines running down the pebble, with that on the right being a composite of two lines. At their base two short angled lines meet them. There are also four short cross lines near the upper end of the motif.

Pebble engraved using flint tools. It may depict a female figure wearing a necklace. From Rhuddlan, north-east Wales.

SC6.1

Mesolithic stone decorated pebble
Image: By permission of Amgueddfa Cymru — Museum Wales
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Collection Area

Archaeology & Numismatics

Item Number

96.9H/1.1486

Find Information

Site Name: Rhuddlan, Denbighshire

Grid Reference: SJ 025 779
Collection Method: excavation
Date: 1970

Notes: From Rhuddlan Site M NGR refers to Rhuddlan Castle. Collector worked freelance on behalf of the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust.

Measurements

length / mm:81.5
width / mm:30.0
thickness / mm:23.2
weight / g:100.2

Categories

Knapping/Making Stone Axes record verified by E.A. Walker
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