Neolithic Flint Axe - 17 cm

"Neolithic Flint Axe

Culture / Period: Neolithic
Date / Period: c. 2800–2400 B.C.
Material: Flint
Dimensions: 17 mm
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: 977

The current owner (S.N.J. S.) purchased the flint 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:
Flint axes were among the characteristic woodworking tools of Neolithic communities. They were hafted into wooden or antler handles and could be used for tasks such as felling and working timber, activities essential for constructing houses, making wooden implements and clearing land for settlement and agriculture.

This example has been extensively shaped by controlled flaking on both faces, producing the characteristic elongated axe form. The manufacture of such tools required careful selection of suitable flint and considerable knowledge of stone-working techniques. Flint axes therefore belong to an organised and highly developed technological tradition that had evolved over many generations.

During the Neolithic, high-quality flint and finished axes could circulate considerable distances from their geological sources and production areas. Exchange networks connected communities across northern and north-westernope, and stone axes could possess significance extending beyond their immediate practical function. Particularly carefully manufactured examples could also have social or symbolic value, although such a role cannot be established for this individual piece without a documented archaeological context.

Dating to approximately 2800–2400 B.C., this axe belongs to the later Neolithic period, when agricultural communities depended heavily on woodworking for settlement, farming and everyday life. It forms a tangible connection to prehistoric craftsmanship and to the practical activities that shaped the landscapes and communities ofope more than four thousand years ago."