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This sandstone tool was found at Jarlshof in Shetland. It was used between 950 and 400 BC. It was probably a hoe-like cultivation tool, but it could have been used to remove skin and fat from stranded whales and sea mammals.

The tool was made from a heart-shaped flat stone, with a roughly rectangular hole for a handle near one edge.

Stranded whales and sea mammals provided a source of food, fuel and raw materials that could be gathered easily near the coasts. People used whatever tools were to hand to cut through the skin and extract the blubber.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-100-042-905-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  X.HSA 3254
• Date: Between 950 and 400 BC
  
• Material: Sandstone; heart-shaped; roughly triangular
  
• Dimensions: 8.75" L x 9.30" W
  
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• Where: Scotland, Shetland, Sumburgh, Jarlshof
  
• Event:
• Description: Heart-shaped stone tool, from Jarlshof
  
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