Stone axe

Collection type: Object
Description: Stone axe
Long description: Thin butted polished flint with faceted sides. The cutting edge has been destroyed, likely by post depositional activity (i.e ploughing). The flint has a well developed patina, light greyish white in colour. Some areas are a dark reddish orange colour, this is likely iron staining and suggests that the axe is a surface find. [MN 03/12/2009]
Geographical reference: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Europe > Northern Europe > United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; England West Sussex Adur Lancing
Person: Maker Unknown Maker; Field collector James A.S. Medhurst; PRM source Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers founding collection
Date / Period: Archaeological period: Neolithic
Date collected: By 1879 July 2
Acquisition information: Donated: 1884
Materials and processes: Material Flint Stone, Process Flaked, Process Ground, Process Polished
Dimensions: Thick: max 32 mm, Width: max 52 mm, Length: max 111 mm, Weight 196 g
Object numbers: Accession number: 1884.123.36 PR no.: ? 97/ 9680
Research and responses: Pitt-Rivers bought material from Lancing from James Medhurst's collection at a Sotheby sale on 2 July 1879. This object possibly matches items described as part of Lot 123: "Four flint Celts, and a number of bone objects" (Sotheby 1879: 8). The catalogue does not give Lancing as the provenance for this object (it does for others). [Dan Hicks 19/07/2013]
Note that there are two versions of the Green book entry, one on pages 97 and 98 and one on pages 100 to 102 [AP Leverhulme project on founding collection 1995-1998]
As part of Joshua Pollard's visit on 26/11/09 as part of the 'Fell Project': 'characterising the world archaeology collections of the Pitt Rivers Museum' he identified this as dating from the Neolithic, but said it is probably a surface find as there are rust stains on the object indicative of being struck by a plough. [CB 26/11/09]
Associated publications: Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge 1879. Catalogue of Antiquities and Works of Art including the collection of the Baron Heath...and the Musuem of Romano-British pottery and Roman personal ornaments formed by the late Mr James Medhurst of Worthing and Weymouth; comprising vessels in terra-cotta, bronze figures &c., cinerary urns, early Roman implements, beads, Roman coins...(1-2 July 1879). London: Dryden Press (Messrs Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge). I have placed a copy of this catalogue on file in the RDF for 1884.2.1 [Dan Hicks 19/07/2013]

Search terms: Tool, Weapon, Axe