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From the article >"Native Americans undoubtedly had earlier grave markers (perhaps made of wood that did not survive), but they were not made of carved stone.
by boomboomsubban 2y ago
From the article
>"Native Americans undoubtedly had earlier grave markers (perhaps made of wood that did not survive), but they were not made of carved stone. Nor did the English settlers have the technology and skills to cut and engrave tombstones; that is why they imported them."
Tombstones hardly seem like a universal thing, grave monuments may be but tombstones in particular not really.
- rightbyte 2y ago> Nor did the English settlers have the technology and skills to cut and engrave tombstones Seems rather implausible. Engraving in wood is about the same thing but way less tideous. A chissel and a hammer. It probably comes down to a matter of will (and funding...), not tech.
- boomboomsubban 2y ago>cut and engrave Stonecutting takes a lot of specialized tools and resources, things we could fairly easily know Jamestown lacked.
- rightbyte 2y agoOh. Ye, cutting would probably be annoyingly hard with just hammers and chisels. I envisioned engraving a nice looking rock. Like a rune stone. Not making it flat too.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- Wytwwww 2y agoPolishing marble, limestone etc. (as opposed to just engraving something on a rock) still requires skilled workers, equipment etc. The small, underdeveloped early colonies couldn't really sustain such a specialized industry.