Carved stone in Mesolithic Cornwall: portable art, Mesolithic magic or mundane markings. Extraordinary new discoveries from southwest Britain

Shaped and carved stone is a fundamental component of the archaeological record from the Mesolithic period across the UK. Whilst flint is the central element of this archaeological record, there is also a significant non-flint lithic component to many British Mesolithic sites that has been somewhat understudied. Within Cornwall, south-west Britain, research into this non-flint lithic component, partially retrieved through innovative methods of whole ‘earth’ sampling of Mesolithic land-surfaces, has revealed a significant collection of Mesolithic carved stones. A selection of these stones is presented and consideration is given to whether these pieces were created from their use as tools or whether these pieces of stone have longer biographies, potentially eventually becoming mnemonic devices. Parallels are drawn to other Mesolithic carvings from across the UK, with some symbols such as the ‘X’s and parallel lines, evident over a wide area and across the long time period of the Mesolithic.This paper is dedicated to our dear friend and colleague Andy Jones.