N044 – Neolithic Hammer (British Find)

The Neolithic British Isles refers to the period of British, Irish and Manx history that spanned from c. 4000 to c. 2,500 BCE. The final part of the Stone Age in the British Isles, it was a part of the greater Neolithic, or “New Stone Age“, across Europe.

Humans first settled down and began farming. They continued to make tools and weapons from flint. Some tools stayed the same from earlier periods in history, such as scrapers for preparing hides.

But the Neolithic also saw the introduction of new stone tool. First there was a movement away from using microliths to make spears and arrows as composite weapons and instead the universal adoption of flint arrow heads. 

  Neolithic tools were often retouched all over, by pressure flaking, giving a characteristic appearance and were often laboriously polished, again giving them a distinctive look.

Pottery also developed in this period and there are examples of Neolithic Pottery recorded in this collection


Neolithic Hammer

Provenance – Found near the River Ter Valley, Chelmsford, Essex

Description – This smooth brown tool is very interesting due to the way it has been shaped. It includes a small handle which would have fitted nicely into a wooden handle. The working end of the tool has been shaped much like an axe. but no where near as sharp. the item is a blunt instrument.

Size – 10 cm x 10.2 cm

Weight – 472g

Age / Period – Neolithic 4000 BCE – 2500 BCE


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.