Neolithic Stone battle axe - 15.5 cm

"Neolithic Stone Battle Axe with Shaft Hole

Culture / Period: Late Neolithic / Corded Ware tradition
Date / Period: c. 2500–1900 B.C.
Material: Stone
Dimensions: 155 mm; shaft hole approximately 27 mm diameter
Condition: Good condition

No shipping outside theopean Union. Due to complex export regulations concerning cultural goods, this item cannot be shipped outside the EU. Please ensure you have a delivery address within theopean Union before placing a bid.

Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 978

The current owner (S.N.J. S.) purchased the battle axe from H.T. in Emmen, The Netherlands.

The previous owner, H.T. from Emmen, stated that the object had been in his collection since the 1990s.

According to the previous owner, the object had previously been in a private collection in The Netherlands since before 1990.

No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
Perforated stone battle axes are among the characteristic objects of the Late Neolithic in northern and centralope and are particularly associated with the Corded Ware cultural horizon. Corded Ware communities occupied a vast area ofope during the 3rd millennium B.C.; in the Netherlands and neighbouring regions this tradition is represented by the Single Grave Culture. Shaft-hole battle axes form one of the defining elements of this archaeological tradition.

This substantial example measures 155 mm and has a carefully shaped elongated body with a drilled shaft hole approximately 27 mm in diameter. It would originally have been mounted on a wooden handle. Manufacture was technically demanding: suitable stone had to be selected, shaped by pecking and grinding, and perforated through prolonged drilling and abrasion. The resulting object therefore represents considerable investment in both labour and specialised stone-working knowledge.

The traditional term “battle axe” should not be understood as proof that every example was primarily used in combat. Archaeological research indicates a more complex role. Use-wear studies of prehistoric battle axes and axe-hammers demonstrate that at least some examples were genuinely used, with traces resulting from contact with materials including wood, bone, earth and roots. At the same time, their often elaborate forms and comparatively blunt edges distinguish many battle axes from ordinary woodworking axes.

Their social significance is particularly well supported by funerary archaeology. In a large study of 1,161 Corded Ware graves, battle axes occurred in highly structured positions within burials: 322 of the 405 recorded battle axes were deliberately placed in the southern or south-western part of the grave. Weapons including battle axes are especially associated with the male burial tradition of Corded Ware societies. This repeated and formalised deposition indicates that they carried meanings extending beyond simple utility.

Current archaeological scholarship consequently interprets many Neolithic battle axes as socially valued objects connected with identity, prestige and status, while acknowledging functional diversity between individual examples. Their appearance in graves, representations on stone monuments and even miniature versions made from materials such as clay and amber further supports their symbolic importance.

Dating to the later 3rd millennium B.C., this battle axe belongs to a period in which carefully made stone weapons could combine practical function with powerful social meaning. It should therefore be understood not merely as a tool or weapon, but as a type of object that could also communicate identity and status within Late Neolithic society. It forms a tangible connection to the technological skills, social structures and burial traditions of prehistoricope."