Rights Holder: Suffolk County Council
CC License: 
Image use policy
Our images can be used under a CC BY attribution licence (unless stated otherwise).
AXEHEAD
Unique ID: SF-12DFCE
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
A fragment of a Neolithic flint polished axehead. It is roughly rectangular in shape and plano-convex in cross section. The outer face has small flaking scars in several places, but the area surrounding these has been smoothly polished, producing an almost flat surface. There is a rough, stepped break to one end, presumably the result of the impact that fractured the flake from the rest of the axe. The reverse face is covered with multiple scaled flaking scars running in different directions - possibly representing an attempt to sharpen the edges for re-use. The flint is a light, opaque, mottled grey colour with a small amount of orange staining in places.
The original polished axe would have been of Neolithic date, but the retouch and reuse could have occurred as late as the early Bronze Age. Other similar examples have been recorded on the PAS database, including SF-42B8C0, SF-8DABF7 & SF-904B71 from Suffolk.
Length: 84.77mm, width: 56.12mm, thickness: 20.54mm, weight: 106.43g
Class: Polished
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: NEOLITHIC
Period from: NEOLITHIC
Period to: NEOLITHIC
Date from: Circa 4000 BC
Date to: Circa 1601 BC
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 84.77 mm
Width: 56.12 mm
Thickness: 20.54 mm
Weight: 106.43 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 1st May 2016
Personal details
This information is restricted for your access level.
Materials and construction
Primary material: Flint
Manufacture method: Ground/polished
Completeness: Fragment
Spatial metadata
Region: Eastern (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Suffolk (County)
District: Mid Suffolk (District)
To be known as: Hinderclay
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
Similar objects
Find number: SF-42B8C0
Object type: AXEHEAD
Broadperiod: NEOLITHIC
A reworked Neolithic polished stone reworked axehead. It is roughly oval in shape and plano-convex in cross section. Several areas on both fa…
Workflow: Published
Find number: SF-D7B835
Object type: AXEHEAD
Broadperiod: NEOLITHIC
A Neolithic polished (and reworked) flint axehead. It is roughly triangular in shape and plano-convex in cross section. It expands slightly t…
Workflow: Awaiting validation
Find number: SF-BBE441
Object type: AXEHEAD
Broadperiod: NEOLITHIC
A complete flint polished axehead of Neolithic date. It is struck from a mottled pale grey to white flint, is roughly triangular in form and …
Workflow: Published
Timeline of associated dates
About Us
About our Site
Find us
The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG.
T: +44(0) 20 73238618