Stones

A Material and Cultural History

Cally Oldershaw

• Publisher: Reaktion Books
• Year: 2023
• ISBN:
  9781789148183
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Geology & Earth Sciences

The story of our deep and multifaceted connections to geological matter—the very bedrock of our lives. From small beach pebbles to huge megaliths, stones have been revered, collected, enhanced, sculpted, or engraved for practical and artistic purposes throughout the ages. They have been used to delineate boundaries and to build homes and shelters and utilized for cooking, games, and competitions. This surprising and fascinating compendium of stone facts, myths, and stories reveals the impact and importance of stones in our history and culture. Cally Oldershaw introduces the science in an accessible way and covers the aesthetic appeal of stones, their practical uses, and metaphysical properties. With an eclectic mix of examples from the Stone Age to the present, Stones engagingly excavates the story of this essential matter.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION: GEOLOGY AND THE SCIENCE OF STONES
• 1 STONE TOOLS, WEAPONS, IMPLEMENTS AND BUILDING STONES
• 2 TESTIMONY IN STONE
• 3 STONES AND THE CREATIVE MIND
• 4 MEDICINAL, HEALTH AND HEALING STONES
• 5 COLLECTORS, COLLECTIONS AND COLLECTING STONES
• APPENDIX: STARTING YOUR COLLECTION
• REFERENCES
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• PHOTO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• INDEX