NMS


 

Record

Axe-hammer

< 1 of 1 > Back

found on the farm of Westhills, Gretna, Dumfriesshire

Axe-hammer
Add to album

This stone axe-hammer was found on the farm of Westhills at Gretna in Dumfriesshire. Axe-hammers are heavy-duty tools, ranging in length from 150 to 350 mm. They have shaftholes for a wooden handle. They could have been used as massive wedges, and they probably date to between 2100 and 1400 BC.

Made from a large cobble, this axe-hammer has a bluntish blade at one end, a curving butt, flattish upper and lower surfaces and a shafthole bored through them near the butt end. Its slightly irregular shape reflects the original shape of the cobble.

The function of axe-hammers has been debated. Traces of use suggest that the butt end was struck and the blade end pushed through a resistant material. The narrow handle would have been too weak to act like an axe handle, so may have been for steadying the tool in position. Use as a heavy-duty wedge seems the most likely. There are unexplained concentrations of axe-hammers in south-west Scotland and north-west England.

Record details

To search on related items, click any underlined text below.


< 1 of 1 > Back