STONE BOTHERING

Florianópolis, the island capital of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil, is celebrated for its stunning beaches, lush forests, and surf culture. But beneath its tourist-friendly surface lies a deeper, older story—one written in stone . Hidden in the woods, scattered across beaches, and embedded in trails are ancient stones carved, polished, and inscribed by the region's early inhabitants . These stones are not only archaeological wonders—they are keys to understanding the island’s ancient past. The Indigenous Peoples of Santa Catarina Before Portuguese colonizers arrived in the 16th century, the island of Florianópolis—then known by its Guarani name, Meiembipe , meaning "mountain along the channel"—was inhabited for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence shows that the Sambaqui people , also known as shell mound builders , lived here as far back as 5,000 years ago . These ancient coastal peoples built massive shell mounds (sambaquis), fished the rich waters, and left ...

The Valley of Stones is a National Nature Reserve in Dorset, England, that is home to a unique landscape of scattered sarsen boulders. These large, naturally occurring stones are thought to have formed during the last ice age, when freeze-thaw cycles caused the sandstone on the nearby hills to fragment and slump downhill. The sarsen stones in the Valley of Stones are some of the largest and most impressive in southern England. They range in size from small pebbles to boulders that weigh over 100 tons. The stones are a warm, honey-brown color and have a weathered, textured surface. Among the boulders lies a hidden treasure: a Neolithic polishing stone. This polishing stone, or polissoir, is a large boulder with a smooth, concave surface. It is thought to have been used by Neolithic people to sharpen and polish their stone tools. The polishing stone was discovered by a team of volunteers who were clearing vegetation from the valley floor. It is the only undisturbed polissoir to have been...

Neolithic polishing stones, also known as polissoirs, are large stones that were used by Neolithic people to sharpen and polish their stone tools, such as axes, adzes, and chisels. These stones are typically made of hard, durable materials such as sandstone, granite, or quartzite. They often have a smooth, concave surface that was created by repeated use. Polissoirs are found all over the world, but they are particularly common in Europe and Asia. They are thought to have been used from around 10,000 to 5,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period. This was a time when humans were transitioning from a nomadic lifestyle to a more settled one, and they were developing new technologies, such as agriculture and pottery. Polishing stones were an essential tool for the Neolithic people. Sharp, polished stone tools were essential for felling trees, clearing land for farming, building houses, and making other tools and weapons. Polishing stones were also used to make ceremonial objects, such a...