A project funded by a three-year Resource Enhancement Grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Board to create an electronic catalogue of all archaeological stone known to have been exploited in Antiquity throughout the British Isles.
For the last 20 years, Archaeology at the University of Southampton has been acquiring a large and extensive collection of archaeologically relevant rock samples. The research potential of this collection is enormous, however its location on the south coast and the logistical problem of moving heavy rock samples around the country has led to it being underused. By placing images and data about the collection on the internet we are hoping to make it widely available and by so doing enhance the contribution of stone to archaeological research.