Rights Holder: Birmingham Museums Trust
CC License:
Our images can be used under a CC BY attribution licence (unless stated otherwise).
Unique ID: WMID-2CD9C1
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published
A complete struck / knapped flint naviform handaxe of Lower and / or Middle Palaeolithic dating (c. 800, 000 BC to c. 40,000 BC)
The handaxe exhibits working on both dorsal (upper) and ventral (lower) faces, making it a biface handaxe (Debenath. A and Dibble, H. L.,1994, 126). Approximately 85% of the surface has been worked, with the original surface or cortex covering the remaining 15% of the surface.
The biface has a rhomboid shape with a thick butt in profile which thins towards the tip and is a cream/yellow colour. On the dorsal side, roughly central about 20 mm from the butt, the bulb of percussion can be seen. The striking platform is most probably to the bottom left of the bulb of percussion. The butt is curved on the right dorsal side, the other side has been hammered flat and from a third of the way up the sides have been straightened to create a point. The left is slightly convexed and the right slightly concave towards the tip. Just above and to the left of the hammered flat butt a further hammering has been done. Above the bulb of percussion an errete, about 15 mm wide and 20 mm long, wide has been made running towards the tip. The cortex itself is light brown and is situated towards the middle of the handaxe. Knapping marks can be seen on both edges. The handaxe is not fresh but however has had minimal edge and tip damage due to rolling.
Length: 107.21 mm
Width: 69.90 mm
Thickness: 42.16 mm
Weight: 258.4 g
Reference: Debenath, A and Dibble, H.L., 1994. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data, University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Notes:
Handaxe has been digitally illustrated using Adobe Photoshop by Joshua Charles (Bournemouth University). Obvious facets have been highlighted. The illustrations should be used as a guide to identify the areas of deliberate percussion.
This is a find of note and has been designated: Regional importance
Class: naviform
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: PALAEOLITHIC
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: PALAEOLITHIC
Subperiod to: Middle
Period to: PALAEOLITHIC
Date from: Circa 800000 BC
Date to: Circa 40001 BC
Quantity: 1
Length: 107.21 mm
Width: 69.9 mm
Thickness: 42.16 mm
Weight: 258.4 g
Date(s) of discovery: Thursday 1st October 2009 - Saturday 31st October 2009
This information is restricted for your access level.
Other reference: Waite Collection: Staffordshire
Primary material: Flint
Manufacture method: Knapped/flaked
Completeness: Complete
4 Figure: SK1802
Four figure Latitude: 52.615477
Four figure longitude: -1.735582
1:25K map: SK1802
1:10K map: SK10SE
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Debenath, A. and Dibble, H.L. | 1994 | Handbook of Paleolithic typology | Philadephia | University of Pennsylvania | 167 | ||
Graf, A. | 2004 | A cause for wonder: Preliminary observations on further Palaeolithic surface finds by Ron Waite from around Nuneaton, Warwickshire | The Lithic Studies Society | 78-105 |