Pestle from Cappel

Pestle from Cappel

The pestle of Cappel (also the flask of Cappel) is a stone tool from the Stone Age, which was found near the village of Cappel near Fritzlar in Nordhessen. It is now located in a private archaeological collection in Obervorschütz and is a significant example of Stone Age finds in Northern Hesse.

The pestle consists of feldspar, is 16.50 cm long, and tapers parabolically from the right friction surface from 4.50 cm to 3.50 cm on the left friction surface. Its weight is 358 grams. It is probably about the time around 3000 v. Chr. Similar finds from Steinbeilen are exhibited in the Fritzlar Museum Hochzeitshaus. A comparatively well preserved pestle is not known.

The bone-shaped tool was used to grind and grate plants, barks, bones, and minerals. However, the associated mortar or the associated friction stone is missing. Both sides of the piston surfaces have a considerable roughening. The middle handle is ergonomically adapted for better handling. A snake-shaped, slightly red-colored motif is carved into the handle; whether this has a ritual meaning is unclear. To increase the friction between the piston and the friction shell, the head ends have been abraded. Scratches are probably due to damage from other stones and the processing on the field.

The pestle was found in the spring of 1955 by Ernst Schönewolf (* 1930, † 2002) during seedbed work in the crushed stone on the edge of a loose field in the Edertal near Cappel. The site is located in the Rain, above a natural wall in the Edertal. Other finds from the same field are not known. The tool could therefore have been washed by the water at a flood. Edit source text

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