Engraved Pebble
Decorated tool
Magdalenian
Around 17 000 years
Engraved pebbles have been identified as retouchers, grindstones, pressure flakers, sharpeners…
J. Clottes, C. Fritz, J.P. Giraud, Ch. Servelle, Les industries lithiques du Badegoulien : les galets portant des traces d'utilisation. E.R.A.U.L, Liège, 2012
Commentary :
Between 17 000 and 14 000 years ago, Magdalenian hunter-gatherers decorated some of their everyday objects. The often fine and subtle decoration of these pebbles, which served as pressure flakers, retouchers or grindstones to crush pigments, probably had several meanings.
The decoration is rendered aesthetically pleasing, by adding a personal touch to a common tool, or by intentionally associating an object, with a theme related to its function.
Finally, the motif could reflect the desire to give a symbolic meaning to a tool, that provides its owner with a series of material benefits.