Quern

Querns are stone hand mills used for grinding grain or corn. This complete quern, consisting of upper and lower stones, was found near Netherton of Comisty in Aberdeenshire. It was used sometime between 200 BC and 800 AD.

This picture shows the stones separated. The surfaces visible were the ones which crushed the grains resulting in a mixture of flour, grain pieces and husk. It was sieved and then re-ground to the required fineness.

Stones used for querns were carefully chosen and sometimes imported over large distances. A hard stone was necessary, since the action of grinding wore down the stone. The Romans imported their stones from the Rhineland.

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