rchaeology is not an exact science. It is full of doubts, uncertainties, surprises, and unanswered questions. One of its unsolved mysteries concerns the methods of ancient stone work, which is lost in the mists of time... To this technological enigma, excluding fanciful speculations, I intend to offer an explanation in line with ‘ Occam's razor ’: with all factors being equal, the solution to a problem is the simplest one. Using Acid to Work the Hardest Stones The thesis is that the only practical system available to act on the mentioned minerals, refractory to (or unmanageable by) physical action, was...