Rights Holder: Norfolk County Council
CC License: 
Image use policy
Our images can be used under a CC BY attribution licence (unless stated otherwise).
HANDAXE
Unique ID: NMS-20F453
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published 
Lower Palaeolithic pointed handaxe of type E (Wymer 1999), bifacially knapped by direct percussion with a semi-hard hammer stone from a small nodule of mottled grey flint with a patch of worn cortex extant towards the damaged butt; recently broken by thermal (frost) fractures. Both faces are differentially patinated with one face being white with a few grey/brown mottles, the other is closer to the original colour of the flint but with a few streaks of light grey "basket weave" patination.
Type E handaxes are found throughout the Lower Palaeolithic period, are smaller than 10cm in length and are usually quite roughly knapped from an opportunistic find of a small nodule or naturally broken piece of flint, most of the knapping was usually focused on producing one sharp cutting edge for butchery tasks. This example has two neat cutting edges and good symmetry.
96 x 53 x 25 mm. Weight 98g.
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: PALAEOLITHIC
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: PALAEOLITHIC
Subperiod to: Early
Period to: PALAEOLITHIC
Date from: Circa 600000 BC
Date to: Circa 150001 BC
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 96 mm
Width: 53 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight: 98 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Monday 20th October 2014 - Monday 20th October 2014
Personal details
This information is restricted for your access level.
Other reference numbers
SMR reference number: 60499
Other reference: PB072015
Materials and construction
Primary material: Flint
Manufacture method: Knapped/flaked
Completeness: Incomplete
Spatial metadata
County or Unitary authority: Norfolk (County)
District: Breckland (District)
Parish or ward: Griston (Civil Parish)
Spatial coordinates
4 Figure: TF9400
Four figure Latitude: 52.56323265
Four figure longitude: 0.8607563
1:25K map: TF9400
1:10K map: TF90SW
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
Similar objects
Find number: NMS-A39651
Object type: HANDAXE
Broadperiod: PALAEOLITHIC
Lower Palaeolithic pointed ovate handaxe of Wymer's type E, unifacially and invasively knapped from a thermal or "potlid" fractured piece of …
Workflow: Published
Find number: NMS-6998C3
Object type: HANDAXE
Broadperiod: PALAEOLITHIC
Handaxe of elongated ovate form Wymer's Type K, though semi-hard hammer struck as opposed to soft hammer struck, there is no tranchet blow to…
Workflow: Awaiting validation
Find number: NMS-40FACD
Object type: HANDAXE
Broadperiod: PALAEOLITHIC
Handaxe of Wymer's type E, hard hammer struck from an opportunistic find of a small thermally fractured piece of flint originally from a much…
Workflow: Awaiting validation
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