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 Stone Hammer 
Neolithic Stone Hammer 
Neolithic Stone Hammer 
Neolithic Stone Hammer
Neolithic Stone Hammer
Provenance – Found near the River Ter Valley, Chelmsford, Essex
Description – This ancient stone tool is a Neolithic Hammer, made to fit into a wooden handle, both sides of the implement has been smoothed into a shallow groove, The stone hammer has been made with a black pebble. there are visible signs of use on this tool. From the photographs its difficult to tell what the tool is, but in your hand it can be seen more clearly.
This hammer and N066 and N067 were both found close to the same place, dug out from the ground by a badger, these stone age tools were not far from each other beside a badger burrow.
Size – 8.5 cm x 5.4 cm
Weight – 263g
Age / Period – Neolithic 4000 BCE – 2500 BCE
