Stone in Archaeology Database

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1st January 2005 - Project Update

The 'Stone in Archaeology - Towards a Digital Resource' project has reached the end of its three year period. We do not, however, see this as an end to the project, but the beginning, as the resource will remain open to receive further information.

We wish to encourage not just academics but local interest groups and the general public to contribute information and, if possible, relevant comparative rock samples. It would be imprudent on our part to imagine that we could collect all the information possible on the subject in the course of three years. It is also hoped that this resource will encourage the user to look more closely at their local stone resources and begin to understand and identify what they see; any feedback from local investigations would be greatly appreciated.

We would like to stress that this resource is a tool with which one might begin to study stone. It is not and could never be a definitive guide to stone identification. If you are interested in establishing a firm provenance for your stone we would still recommend that you examine comparative material and have your rock scientifically investigated, whether by petrographic or chemical means. Naturally, you are welcome to consult the physical rock collection and photomicrographs at the Archaeology Department, University of Southampton, from which the information and photographs have been taken.

Future work: we will be continuing to add the lesser known English stones, and it is our intention to add the Welsh and Scottish stones in the next couple of years. We do have quite a number already in our collection but we have concentrated on the English stones during the first three years of the project for the sake of completeness. Any help, advice, corrections or sample donation would be most appreciated.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the project, I hope you enjoy the resource.

If you are interested in learning more about the project or contributing please contact:-

Email:

1st May 2003 - Project Update

The 'Stone in Archaeology - Towards a Digital Resource' project is nearing the end of its second year of a three year contract. Custom searches on our four main data sources (stone, quarry, usage and reference) are now complete and these are currently being pilot tested by students, academics, specialists and professionals in various different disciplines.

The resource will now being to increase the number of stone types included in the database. It is anticipated that over 200 stone types will be present by the end of the project, with less common examples added at a later stage. Further detailed images (rather than the thumbnail variety) will be added to the resource via the ADS's York Server during the month of May.

The final year of the project involves expanding the resource to include geographical information with online GIS facilities to search and analyse the data to greater effect.

Please note that any information regarding the stones is not yet complete and caution should be exercised before using it.

17th June 2002 - Project Update

The 'Stone in Archaeology - Towards a Digital Resource' project has currently finished the first year of it's three year contract. The current database is in development and is being tested with 20 stone samples. Please note that information regarding the stones is not complete and caution should be exercised before using it. The Images are at present only available on the Department of Archaeology server.