SCRAPER (TOOL)

A large, probable scraper knapped from a tertiary flint flake and dating from the Neolithic to early Bronze Age (4000-1000 BC). It is broadly ovoid in plan, opaque in the body with translucent edges and on a mid-gray, mottled flint. At the proximal end is a pronounced bulb of percussion on the ventral face. This bears evidence of bulb preparation with a large removal running from the edge diagonally into the centre and several parallel removals across the edge. The flake has pronounced, visible ripples covering the whole ventral face. It is trapezoid in section with two arrises running down the dorsal face created by the scars from previous removals of large flakes parallel to this one.

The retouch extends around the distal end and down both sides. Long, parallel, abrupt retouch has created an almost straight distal end. The retouch along the thinner, right edge (when viewed from the dorsal face) has more scalar retouch, tapering to short removals as the flake thins. Damage at the distal and proximal ends of this edge obscure some of the retouch.

It is 70.2mm long, 46.7mm wide and 12.2mm thick; it weighs 43.31g.

The thickness of the flake and large bulb of percussion suggests hard hammer working and a later Neolithic or Bronze Age date, c. 3,300 to 800 BC.