Stone in Archaeology Database

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Kimmeridge Shale was exploited from the Iron Age to the end of the Roman period for carved and turned work such as table legs, table tops, trays, trenchers, bowls, tesserae for mosaics, armlets and even spindle whorls. The industry went into decline at the end of the Roman period and the stone was only later exploited for fuel from at least 1575 AD to the present day, since it contains oil and has the ability to burn (Palmer 1996). Small shale objects are widely distributed in Dorset, Winchester, Silchester, London, Northampton, Glastonbury and Meare (Palmer 1996). The debris of shale working can be found on Iron Age and Roman sites in Dorset, but rarely outside the country, suggesting that most shale was exported from Dorset as finished objects (ibid.).