Department: Archaeology

This stone axehead was found near Arbor Low henge by Albert Leslie Armstrong. It has been carefully worked and shaped, and the surface polished using sand, water and a rubbing stone. The wide end of the axe is the cutting end. The other end, called the butt, was attached to a wooden handle. Polished stone axes are common in the Neolithic period and many have been found in Britain. They were used to clear land for growing crops and were important tools for early farmers. This axehead has been thin-sectioned. Thin-sectioning is a scientific sampling process by which a sliver of rock is removed and examined under a microscope. The mineral make-up of the rock tells us where it comes from. This axe is made of tuff, a coarse basaltic rock, formed from lava produced by ancient volcanoes. It is found in Derbyshire, so this axe may have been made locally.