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Friction stone

Very large, decorated grating table. The stone tool consists of a curved, rectangular worktop and three trapezoidal legs with a small base. A cuboid, cat-like head protome is attached to the one-legged narrow side of the object. It has two oval, sunken eyes and a long, sculpted nose. Large, pointed teeth appear in its broad, engraved mouth. Above the temples are two semicircular ears. The face was depicted from a frontal perspective. The vertical and lateral surfaces of the protome are decorated with geometric engravings that do not correspond to the natural fur pattern of the species. On the right side there is an upright, round hole. The underside of the sculptural decoration has been hollowed out and smoothed. The upper, lower and lateral surfaces of the base stone are decorated with engraved geometric motifs. The three legs of the object feature raised engravings and deep oval perforations. The opposing support elements differ from the single leg, which is more massive, longer and more inclined. While the insides of the rear legs were left undecorated, the single support element was engraved on two neighbouring sides. The work surface of the rubbing table shows clear signs of use. The edges and corners are chipped and scuffed. The engraved decoration is slightly eroded. Some of the indentations in the plate have been levelled. (Künne 2005) Further information on the social, symbolic and cultural significance, as well as the find context and periodisation, could not be integrated into the long description due to technical problems at Museum Plus.

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Data Provider
Ethnologisches Museum
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Cataloguing data

Object type
Friction stone
Dimensions
Andere Maße: Wölbung der Arbeits-/Sitzfläche: 6 cm
Wandstärke: (Arbeits-/Sitzfläche) 2,5 cm
Länge: (Arbeits-/Sitzfläche) 40 cm
Objektmaß: 35 x 30,3 x 64 cm
Material/Technique
Stone
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
IV Ca 41860

Provenance and sources

when
500 - 800
where
Costa Rica

who
Lehmann, Walter - Collectors

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