During an excavation in West Frisia, around the Westfrisiawg, many Bronze Age sites were found, containing a wealth of information about this region in the period. Among the finds were pound...Show moreDuring an excavation in West Frisia, around the Westfrisiawg, many Bronze Age sites were found, containing a wealth of information about this region in the period. Among the finds were pound/polishing ground stones showing use-wear traces of hide processing, likely done during leather making. In which step of the process these stones were used was still unclear however. Firstly the landscape, vegetation and fauna are discussed to get an idea of the region. Subsequently the sites where the finds were made are elaborated upon, showing life in the period. Both the house plans and settlement are discussed, as well as separate artifact categories that were found. The rest of the thesis is concerned with experimental archaeology, using similar pound/polishing stones to assess the practicality, prehistoric alternatives and macroscopic recognition of these pound/polishing stones. These ground stones are used to tan a cow hide to turn it into a fur. In three steps of this process the stones are used, with membraning, rubbing the fat tanning mixture (dressing) in, and lastly in the softening and stretching step. After this use-wear analysis is done, and the problems with the experiment are discussed, such as the age of the skin being too old, along with two out of the three pound/polishing stones not being useful, as they were more destructive than expected and wanted, especially while softening. The questions about practicality, usefulness and macroscopic recognition of these stones are answered.Show less
