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Gritstone draughtsman

DERSB : 6091

Gritstone disc found at Arbor Low, possibly a playing piece or ‘draughtsman’, 6,000-4,500 years old (Neolithic).

Many stone tools have been found in the landscape around Arbor Low, suggesting this was an important focal point for prehistoric people, but no one really knows why or what people did there. Did people gather here seasonally to meet each other and celebrate festivals? The earthen bank and ditch of the henge were built around 4,500 years ago and can be seen from miles away. Around 500 years later a stone circle was added, hidden from view by the bank of the henge. Archaeologists are still debating whether or not the stones stood upright.

Additional information

  • Rights: Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0 Buxton Museum and Art Gallery (part of Derbyshire County Council)

Wonders linked to this object:

'Arbelows' - a capital British monument

How did an antiquarian record Arbor Low in the 1700s?

(read more)

Before the Henge

Evidence suggests that the landscape around Arbor Low was used for thousands of years, even before the henge and barrows were built

(read more)

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