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Pitt Rivers Museum

1928.69.237

Stone 'thunderbolt'.


1928.69.237

Digital asset copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford

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Collection type
Object
Description
Stone 'thunderbolt'.
Long description
A small stone axehead, traditionally referred to as a "thunderbolt," reflecting the belief that such stones were god’s axes fallen to earth during lightning strikes. The stone tapers towards the longer side to form a blade, while the back of the head is thicker and more rounded, giving it the characteristic shape of an axehead. The back of the head has a large chip meaning it doesn't have the same rounded shape that most of the other axeheads do.
Geographical reference
Cultural groups
Lotha Naga
Person
Field collector James Philip Mills
PRM source James Philip Mills
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1921
Date collected
February 1921
Acquisition information
Loaned: 06/1921 Donated: 1928
Materials and processes
Material Stone, Process Ground
Dimensions
Length: max 49 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1928.69.237

Search terms: Tool, Religion, Weapon, Axe, Religious Object