Ballachrink Toy Axehead
Date made: Bronze Age: 2000-500 BC
Description: This is a part of a small axe made from a volcanic stone. The rounded end still retains some sharpness even four thousand years after it was made. The surface is highly polished, giving the blade a shiny appearance and a smooth feel.
Stone and flint axes were very important tools in the prehistoric period. They were used to cut down trees to make boats or timbers for homes or to clear woodland to enable families to plant and grow crops.
But sometimes, they were used as valuable things in their own right. Many large, highly-polished, unused axes have been discovered, which may have been gifts or status symbols. This axe is too small to be for status. Instead, it may have been a toy, made by a parent for their child, who was fascinated by the tools the grown-ups had and who played with miniature versions around their home fire.
Measurements: overall: 42mm x 30mm x 13mm
Materials: stone: rhyolite
Date found: 1988
Object name: worked flint
Collection: Archaeology Collection
ID number: 1988-0162/1