from The Lee, Innerleithen, Peeblesshire
This bronze axehead was found at The Lee at Innerleithen in Peeblesshire. It dates from between 1950 and 1650 BC.
The flat axehead has straight sides which then splay at the bottom to give a wide cutting edge. The edges have been hammered into slight flanges. The cutting edge is damaged.
The techniques used to make flat axeheads are simple but may have seemed magical to early people. First the shape was carved into a suitable stone. Metal was melted in a crucible and poured into the mould which was covered and allowed to cool. Then irregularities were hammered away and the edge was sharpened.
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