A contextual study of querns from prehistoric sites in the Maltese Islands

Abstract

Ground stone tools are not as widely studied in archaeology as other stone tool assemblages, such as flaked tools. Research on the topic of ground stone immediately highlights the fact that this area suffers from widely varying terminology in different areas, making intersite comparisons of different assemblages practically impossible. This study aimed to take a ground stone classification system that already existed and apply it to the ground stone assemblage from a selection of prehistoric sites in the Maltese archipelago. The second aim was to relate the information obtained from the assemblage to a possible systemic context for the tools. The sites chosen for this study included Ħaġar Qim, Saflieni, Santa Verna, Skorba, Ta’ Ħaġrat and Tarxien. Following the systematic collection of data, based on a study of 134 tools, the variables and characteristics of the objects were used to attempt to provide a systemic context to the ground stone tools in the study based on a consideration of archaeological context, when it was available. The application of the classification system used in this study shows that when terminology is kept consistent it is much easier to extract information from an assemblage. Tools from various sites were found to have possibly been involved in the processing of foodstuffs, stone and bone tool production and ritual ceremonies.