Editing Gravestone (section)

===Stone===
* '''Fieldstones'''. In many cultures markers for graves other than enclosed areas, such as planted with characteristic plants particularly in northern Europe the [[yew]], were natural [[fieldstone]]s, some [[Unmarked grave|unmarked]] and others decorated or incised using a metal [[bradawl|awl]]. Typical motifs for the carving included a symbol and the deceased's name and age.
* '''Granite'''. [[Granite]] is a hard stone and requires skill to carve by hand. Modern methods of carving include using computer-controlled rotary bits and [[sandblasting]] over a rubber stencil. Leaving the letters, numbers and emblems exposed on the stone, the blaster can create virtually any kind of artwork or epitaph.
* '''Marble''' and '''limestone'''. Both [[limestone]] and [[marble]] take carving well. Marble is a recrystallised form of limestone. The mild acid in rainwater can slowly dissolve marble and limestone over time, which can make inscriptions unreadable. [[Portland stone]] was a type of limestone commonly used in England{{snd}}after weathering, fossiliferous deposits tend to appear on the surface. [[Marble]] became popular from the early 19th century, though its extra cost limited its appeal.
* '''Sandstone'''. [[Sandstone]] is durable, yet soft enough to carve easily. Some sandstone markers are so well preserved that individual chisel marks are discernible, while others have [[delamination|delaminated]] and crumbled to dust. Delamination occurs when moisture gets between the layers of the sandstone. As it freezes and expands the layers flake off. In the 17th century, sandstone replaced field stones in [[Colonial America]]. [[Yorkstone]] was a common sandstone material used in England.
* '''Slate'''. [[Slate]] can have a pleasing texture but is slightly porous and prone to delamination. Slate was commonly used by colonial New England carvers, especially in Boston where elaborate slate markers were shipped down the Atlantic coast as far south as Charleston and Savanah. It takes lettering well, often highlighted with white paint or [[gilding]]. 
* '''Schist'''. [[Schist]] Was a common material for grave making in the American Colonies during the 17th and 18th Century. While harder to Carve than Sandstone or Slate, lettering and symbols usually had to be carved deeper into the stone and therefore held up well over long periods of time.  While not as durable as most slate,  most have held up well against the elements.

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File:Maymūnah Stone, Gozo Museum of Archaeology, Victoria, Gozo 001.jpg|The [[Maymūnah Stone]], a tombstone with an Arabic inscription dated 1174 on a reused Roman marble block. Now exhibited at the [[Gozo Museum of Archaeology]] in [[Malta]].<ref>[[Giovanni Bonello|Bonello, Giovanni]] (2000). [https://books.google.com/books?id=-4doAAAAMAAJ&q=majmuna+malta "Histories of Malta, Volume 1"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031161316/https://books.google.com/books?id=-4doAAAAMAAJ&q=majmuna+malta |date=31 October 2022 }}. ''Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti''. {{ISBN|978-9993210016}}. pp. 9–11.</ref>
File:008-Josiah Leavitt (d. Dec 19th, 1717) grave, Hingham Center Cemetery, Hingham, Plymouth Co., MA.jpg|Slate gravestone of [[Josiah Leavitt]] (1679–1717), Hingham Center Cemetery, [[Hingham, Massachusetts|Hingham]], Plymouth County, Massachusetts
File:Jewish cemetery Otwock Karczew Anielin IMGP6721.jpg|Slate vestige of a Jewish gravestone depicting a [[tzedakah box]]. [[Jewish cemetery]] in [[Otwock]] (Karczew-Anielin), Poland.
File:GravestoneWormshill.JPG|Gravestone showing death date of 1639, [[Wormshill]], Kent, England
File:MountScopusHeadstone2.JPG|''HIS LAST MESSAGE: NO MORE WARS FOR ME''{{snd}}A headstone in the [[Jerusalem]] British [[World War I]] Cemetery on [[Mount Scopus]]
File:Shebbear Devon gravestone.jpg|Elaborately carved grave slab at [[Shebbear]] (Devon, England) showing a skull sprouting flowering shoots, as a symbol of resurrection
File:Victorian headstones, England.JPG|Tottering Victorian headstones<br>in [[Woolaton]], in [[Nottingham]], England
File:JosiahManningGravestoneMansfieldCT.jpg|[[Schist]] tombstone dated 1795, carved by Josiah Manning in Mansfield CT
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