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Description: | Polished flint axe or adze. The artefact has been made by initial knapping to rough out the shape, then grinding to produce a smooth surface. This axe is incomplete, the blade end having broken off in the distant past, as indicated by the layer of white cortex across the flake scars. The surviving portion of this axe is wedge-shaped, with the edges tapering in slightly. In cross-section, it is oval. The original grinding did not remove all the rough knapping that was required to shape the piece, as some of the flake scars are still visible, covering approx. 30% of the surface. Some of these rough areas may have been left to improve the grip of the haft on the stone, as the surviving piece is the haft end. The butt has been chipped in the distant past, again indicated by the cortex. The other end of the artefact has been broken by the removal of several large flakes. It is possible that this end actually shattered during use, maybe striking a hard object and fracturing, before shattering with subsequent blows. The curve of the edges, and the faces when seen from the side suggest that the remaining portion makes up perhaps 60% of the original axe. There are no secondary flake scars on this artefact, suggesting that it was discarded after it broke; however there are some recent flakes on the edges, which may represent plough damage. The whole artefact has the matt white surface of a new cortex, showing that it has been exposed to the elements for a very long time. The fact that the axe has not been completely polished to remove the original flaking scars suggests that this was a normal utilitarian piece with no special value, although such a piece would take a long time to produce, and would probably ?cost? quite a lot, as would any hand-made tool today. This artefact most probably dates to the Early or Middle Neolithic period (c. 4,500 to c. 2,500 B.C.). | Format: | text/html | License: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ | Publisher: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Rights holder: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Subjects: | archaeology | Temporal: | -4500
-2500 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Dom Andrews | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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