Tool

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.

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Online ID:	000-100-042-905-C
Image Rights Holder:	National Museums Scotland
Project:	0098: 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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