Rights Holder: Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum
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Unique ID: WILT-703FBC
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published
An incomplete Neolithic polished greenstone axehead dating to the period c. 4000 - 2500 BC. The axehead is trapezoidal in shape and widens from the butt end to the blade. It tapers in thickness from the butt end to the blade. The axehead has an oval cross-section at the butt end and a lenticular cross-section at the blade end. The butt end of the axehead was broken off in antiquity and the remaining fragment reused. The butt end appears to have been used as a hammer stone. There is evidence of pecking on this surface and it is slightly rounded. The cutting edge of the blade has been deliberately removed by grinding and polishing into a flat surface with a lenticular cross-section. The reason for this is unknown. The axehead is a dark green-brown in colour and is still slightly polished, most noticeably where the cutting edge has been removed.
The axehead measures 70.67mm in length, 55.53mm maximum width, 42.41mm minimum width, 34.32mm maximum thickness, 15.64mm minimum thickness and weighs 235.39g.
This has been noted as an interesting find by the recorder.
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
Period from: NEOLITHIC
Period to: NEOLITHIC
Date from: Circa 4000 BC
Date to: Circa 2500 BC
Quantity: 1
Length: 70.67 mm
Width: 55.53 mm
Thickness: 34.32 mm
Weight: 235.39 g
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Other reference: SSWM 4255
Primary material: Stone
Manufacture method: Ground/polished
Completeness: Complete
4 Figure: ST8583
Four figure Latitude: 51.54569169
Four figure longitude: -2.21770251
1:25K map: ST8583
1:10K map: ST88SE
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
No references cited so far.