THUMB NAIL SCRAPER

Relatively small flint thumbnail scraper (side and end) of probable later Neolithic or very early Bronze Age date (2900 - 1800 BC). The scraper is formed from the end of a blade like tertiary flake. It is broadly rectangular in plan and an irregular oval in cross section. It measures 17.2mm length, 17.1mm width, is 7.6mm thick and weighs 2.81 grams. The scraper has significant retouch applied to the upper (dorsal) face. This secondary working is limited to the sides / edges and the base. The top is unworked consisting of a snapped edge. The reworking of the edges is neat consisting of small regular facets. These have created a uniform cutting / scraping edge. Along the top of the dorsal face a series of large flake scars are present, these show previous working in several directions, suggesting that the scraper is formed from either a piece of debitage / discarded waste. There is no evidence that the scraper has been thinned and the upper dorsal ridge is hump-like. The ventral (reverse) face is unworked; it shows conchoidal fractures and recent damage caused by movement in the ploughsoil, which has removed a chip from the upper edge.