Discovery of more than 800 whetstones, used to sharpen weapons, seen as one of the most significant finds in northern England for a century
Archaeologists have found evidence of a huge and previously unknown industrial hub of Roman manufacturing in a discovery seen as one of the most significant finds in northern England for a century.
Researchers were astonished to discover more than 800 whetstones at a site on the banks of the River Wear, and evidence of there being hundreds, if not thousands, more buried in the riverbank.
Whetstones are stone bars that were used to sharpen bladed tools and weapons and were ubiquitous in the Roman empire. Every soldier would have needed to use one.
About 250 whetstones have been discovered in the British Isles, said the project leader, Gary Bankhead, an honorary fellow of Durham University. “So for us to suddenly find at least 800 and very likely many hundreds if not thousands more … it is staggering.”
