Neolithic polished axe
From the collections at RAMM, Accession No. 407/1987
Found at Waybrook Cottages, Alphington
By Sarah, Curator of West Exe
This stone axe was found at Waybrook Cottages, Alphington. It was made in the late Stone Age (Neolithic). The axe is shaped from flint. The yellowish flint of this axe is not found naturally in Devon. This axe was made many miles away. We know that polished axes like this were swapped and traded right across western Europe during the late Stone Age.
The maker(s) ground the flint carefully to get the smooth finish. This must have taken many hours of hard graft. Polishing an axe in this way does not make it work any better. For this reason archaeologists think that polished axes must have been more than just tools. They were probably valuable status symbols in the community.