Large neolithic axe head
€500
available
Object number
AR3334-02
| Object: |
Large neolithic axe head
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| Material: |
Grey and brown flint.
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| Period: |
Circa 4000 BC until 3300 BC. Early Neolithic. |
| Description: |
Neolithic axe head from Northern or Central Europe. The tool has a slightly trapezoidal shape and is finely polished on all four sides. It is typologically a thin butted blade with a broad neck. The stone blade was once mounted and used as an axe. Some old chips indicate its practical use. |
| Background: |
Thin butted axes are typical of the Early Neolithic. They continued to be used until the Middle Neolithic and were eventually replaced by the thick butted axes and other new types. The axe heads of the Neolithic in northern Europe are usually classified by their shape. The first systematic typology of Neolithic axes comes from the famous Danish archaeologist Sophus Müller (Ordning af Danmarks Oldsager, 1888). Today it is common to differentiate between sharp, thin and thick butted axes, chronologically in this order. At the transition to the Bronze Age, axes with broad blades appear, imitating the first bronze axe blades. In the archaeological field work, the types mentioned above are often diversified into further subtypes. The find contexts for axes from the Neolithic are manifold, ranging from large hoards as votive offerings or in burials, via tools for practical use, to discarded blades from settlements. Axes from Northern Europe were mostly made of rocks such as flint, metamorphites or silica geodes. |
| Dimensions: |
21.1cm long. 6.8cm wide at the tip of the blade, 5.3 wide at the neck, 1.8cm thick at the neck. Impressive size and weight.
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| Condition: |
Very good condition. Isolated small chips across the body and two larger chips to one side, probably from Stone Age. Otherwise complete and intact.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2022 on the German art market. Previously in the German private collection Pladeck. Acquired into the collection in the 1960s or earlier.
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| Referenzen: |
Cf. Petersen, Flint fra Danmarks oldtid, p. 106, no. 157. Cf. Jeg ser pa oldsager, p. 80, no. 169. Cf. Waldorf, Flint axes, p. 55, fig. 96. |
| Literatur: |
A comprehensive overview of the North European Neolithic period is found in the old but still usable standard work by P. V. Glob, Danske Oldsager II, Yngre Stenalder.
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| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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