from West Law, Lomond Hills, Fife
000-190-004-778-C
© National Museums Scotland |
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Macehead (fragment)
This fragment of a stone macehead was found at West Law in the Lomond Hills in Fife. It could have been used as a weapon, but was principally a status symbol. It would have been mounted on the top of a wooden or bone handle. It possibly dates from between 3100 and 2500 BC.
This macehead fragment, broken across the shafthole, is made of an attractive black and cream speckled stone. It may have been of a type known as a 'proto-cushion' macehead.
Maceheads were used from the late 4th millennium BC until the early 2nd millennium BC as status symbols. Many broken examples have been fractured at the shafthole, the weakest point.
Record details
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| Online ID: |
000-190-004-778-C |
| Image Rights Holder: |
National Museums Scotland |
| Project: |
0098: National Museums Scotland
Project description | View all records in project |
| Ref: |
National Museums Scotland X.AH 32 |
| Date: |
Possibly between 3100 and 2500 BC
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| Material: |
Stone
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| Dimensions: |
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| What: |
Hammer / portion
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| Subject: |
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| Who: |
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| Where: |
Scotland, Fife, Lomond Hills, West Law
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| Event: |
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| Description: |
Portion of a polished stone hammer, from West Law, Lomond Hills, Fife
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| References: |
- Gibson, W.J. Maceheads of 'Cushion' type in Britain. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 78 (1943-4), pp 16-25.
- Ritchie, P.R. Stone axeheads and cushion maceheads from Orkney and Shetland: some similarities and contrasts. In: Sharples, N.M. and Sheridan, J.A. (eds) Vessels for the Ancestors. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1992, pp 213-220.
- Roe, F.E.S. Stone mace-heads and the latest Neolithic cultures of the British Isles. In: Coles, J.M. and Simpson, D.D.A. (eds) Studies in Ancient Europe. Leicester: Leicester University Press, 1968, pp 145-172.
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