Axehead
Category
Archaeological material
Date
4000 BC - 2000 BC
Materials
Flint
Measurements
146.6 x 71.4 x 37 mm
Collection
Warren Farm Barns Office, Surrey
NT 1706931
Summary
A complete flint axe head of Neolithic date, c. 4000-2000 BCE. Flaked removals are evident on both sides, but the surface appears only partially polished. One face has a large hinge-fractured removal struck from the front end which probably represents damage from use. The front edge is also lopsided with battering damage on the cutting edge, as well as removal scars from re-sharpening to prolong its lifetime of use. Only a small portion of the original polished cutting edge remains.
Full description
This axehead provides a tangible link to Neolithic communities moving through the Surrey hills landscape and the way in which they managed and shaped the landscape around them over a long period of time. Apart from odd individual finds such as these, there is no recorded archaeological earthworks or features on any of our Surrey Hill holdings so this axehead, along with other flint findspots, provides evidence of human activity across the Surrey hills for over 5000 years. The flint tool, dated between 4000 and 2000 BC, retains detailed information on its life in its form and appearance. The axe head has been repeatedly resharpened, which suggests a prolonged period of use. It is partially polished which would have taken considerable investment from the owner. Polishing didn’t add efficiencies to tools or prolong life and may have been more of an expression of status or taste. This axe head adds to the 9 polished Neolithic axe heads recorded across Surrey on the Portable Antiquities Scheme, of the 645 recorded country-wide. The finds record is accessible on the Portable Antiquities Scheme website: https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1121299.
Provenance
Found on National Trust land, at Harewoods, Surrey, in July 2023 by Evie Newman. Owned by the National Trust, as the landowner.