- Collection type
- Object
- Description
- Large almond-shaped stone axe, used as a gravestone.
- Geographical reference
- Western Province Fly River
- Person
- Field collector Henry (Harry) Moore Dauncey
- Field collector London Missionary Society
- PRM source Curator of the Plymouth City Art Gallery and Museum
- PRM source Thomas Vere Hodgson
- Date / Period
- Date made: Before 1910
- Date collected
- By 1910
- Acquisition information
- Purchased: 1910
- Materials and processes
- Material Stone
- Dimensions
- Length: max 373 mm
- Object numbers
- Accession number: 1910.59.3 Other numbers: 1910.ß.1 - 3
- Associated publications
- Illustrated in colour (along with 1910.59.1 and 1910.59.2) on page 9 of 'Dauncey's Collections at the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford' (a PDF downloadable from the Plymouth Museum website 'Papua New Guinea in Plymouth', at http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/dauncey_collection_prm.pdf) with the caption: 'Not all stone forms are used as tools. The three large blade-shaped stones below are said to have been used as gravestones. Dauncey's signature - "HMD" - is marked on each of them.' [FB 10/04/2013; JC 28 1 2015] Listed in Table 1 'Kiwai Island axes used grave markers' on page 78 of 'Stone Axes as Grave Markers on Kiwai Island, Fly River Delta, Papua New Guinea', by Ian J. McNiven, in Journal of Pacific Archaeology, Vol. 7, no. 1 (2016), pp. 74-83: '[Museum] PRM | [Reg. No.] 1901.59.3 | [Max. L (cm)] 37.3 | [Max W (cm)] 12.6 | [Max. Th (cm)] 9.0 | [Wt (g)] 4100'. Also discussed on page 79: 'A further four of [Henry] Dauncey’s stone axes provenanced to the "Fly River" were purchased by the Pitt Rivers Museum (PRM) from the PCMAG [Plymouth City Art Gallery and Museum] in 1910 (1910.62.32 and 1910.59.1– 1910.59.3).... Axe 1910.62.32 (max. L. = 30.0 cm) has no associated details on use or function (PRM online catalogue). In contrast, the PRM Accession Book Entry for the remaining three axes – 1910.59.1, 1910.59.2, and 1910.59.3 – states: "3 very large almond-shaped stone celts, used only as grave stones" (PRM online catalogue) (Table 1).' (Copy of article in RDF: Researchers: McNiven.) [JC 24 2 2016]
1910.59.3
Large almond-shaped stone axe, used as a gravestone.
1910.59.3
Digital asset copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford
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