N065 – Neolithic Abrader / Finishing / Polishing Tool (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 Abrader or Polishing Tool

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

Description – This ancient stone object includes two interesting markings around the top. The stone is s smooth and flat on all sides. This item was either used as an abrader (an object used during flint tool making), or it was some kind of finishing stone like for polishing and smoothing.

Size – 4.6 cm x 6.5 cm

Weight – 89g

Age / Period – Neolithic 4000 BCE – 2500 BCE


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