Værktøjsgrave, tekstilhåndværk og de anonyme pottemagere:En genfortolkning af ældre jernalders glittesten

Polishing stones appears in graves from the middle of the Pre-Roman Iron Age, and throughout the Early Roman Iron Age, after which they more or less disappear from the graves. The shiny stones have often been associated with the identity of the deceased, as tangible traces of the potter. A contextual connection to sewing needles in some graves, combined with the use-wear or preparation of stones, calls for a reinterpretation of the possible uses of the oval stones. In this paper it is suggested that at least some of the stones, have rather been used as linen smoothers for the straightening of fabrics and seams in the process of sewing.