Touchstones in graves from the Avar and Great Moravian periods

0393342 - ARÚ 2014 RIV DE eng J - Journal Article
Ježek, Martin - Zavřel, J.
Touchstones in graves from the Avar and Great Moravian periods.
Archäologisches Korrespondenzblatt. Roč. 43, č. 1 (2013), s. 117-129. ISSN 0342-734X
Institutional support: RVO:67985912
Keywords : Slovakia * Hungary * Czech Republic * Early Middle Ages * Avar period * Great Moravia * precious metal
Subject RIV: AC - Archeology, Anthropology, Ethnology

Using electron microscopy, the authors have uncovered traces of non-ferrous metals, including precious metals, on selected stone artefacts from the Avar and Great Moravian periods graves (7th-10th centuries). The finds, originally identified as whetstones, served in fact as touchstones - tools to test the quality of a particular metal. The authors interpret touchstones in early medieval graves as a sign of the buried individual's access to precious metals. In addition to questions of social stratification of the early medieval society, touchstones open a wide field for archaeometallurgy: the chemical microanalysis allows the identification of the composition of the alloys, which are discussed in the paper.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0222071