A New Acquisition

[pg31]The society is extremely thankful to the finder of a ground and polished stone axehead of Neolithic date (c. 4000 – 2200 BCE) for not only notifying the society of its discovery, but for also donating the axehead to the society’s permanent collection.

The Axehead was found during work on the finder’s land and immediately they suspected they had something special. Richard Taylor and Andy Ward of the Society headed out to the findspot and confirmed what was found was indeed a polished and ground Neolithic axehead, likely made of Greensand.

Andy recorded the axehead on the Portable Antiquities Scheme on the finder’s behalf – KENT-545809.

The cutting edge is asymmetrical with the axe being pointed oval in cross-section. It tapers towards the butt end which is more circular in cross-section. The cutting edge is smooth and retains its sharpness with no obvious signs of damage. The butt end has some damage present, possibly from the result of hafting.

There is a line of iron staining on one face of the axe trailing from the cutting edge to the left hand side (as it faces the holder).

Polished axeheads were a part of the technological expansion during the Neolithic agricultural revolution. This was likely used to clear areas of woodland to prepare land for crops and animal husbandry. The axe appears to be made of greensand which has been pecked until smooth, however petrological analysis would be required to confirm its exact origin. If greensand, this example would likely have been locally produced, the materials sourced from the Greensand Ridge that extends across the highpoints of the Weald. Similar examples can be seen at SWYOR-B4A41B and KENT3402.

Measurements:

100.36mm long x 58.8mm wide (cutting edge) x 32.6mm wide (butt end) x 22.83mm thick (Cutting Edge) x

32.3mm thick (at its centre) x 20.5mm thick (butt end). It is 304g in weight.

By donating the axehead to the Society, the finder has ensured its preservation for generations to come and furthermore, the society will be able to use the axehead in its education and outreach activities across the county.

We would like to once again extend our thanks to the finder for donating the axehead to our collection.

[fg]jpg|Fig 1. Ground and polished stone axehead of Neolithic date.|Image[/fg]