Confronting Commerce: Whetstones, Economy and Ecologies of Interdependence in Medieval England

Whetstones imported from Norway into England are used to explore emergent processes of commercialisation in medieval England. The study is based on a sample of 2201 whetstones (both imported and locally provenanced) from excavated contexts, and the distribution and chronology of these objects is presented. Drawing on the nomadic thought of Rosi Braidotti and the associated concept of ecologies of interdependence, these innocuous objects are understood as constituents of affective processes of intensification. The paper explores the contrast between the acquisition of foraged and commodified stones for emergent urban and rural experiences of economic transformation between the 12th and 15th centuries.