I think it is an axe head from the Neolithic period. We found it in one of the rivers that runs down onto Whitepark Bay beach. There are many limestone fossils to be found on this beach and also bivalve fossils, known as 'Devil's Toenails'and we have been told that the people there made tools from this stone, porcellanite,which were then exported as far afield as Europe. Some have been found in Spain. The river was used to smooth the stone after it had been shaped.
The polished stone axe is one of the most well know objects from the Neolithic period (c.4500-2500BC) when it was necessary to devise a tool to clear the forest of trees so that crops could be planted and animals enclosed within fields.
Although different types of stone could be used, outcrops of 'porcellanite' at Tievebulliagh near Cushendall and on Rathlin Ireland, proved the most popular. I don't know if the workers at Whitepark Bay used stones from nearby Rathlin, or whether some would have existed at Whitepark Bay or been washed up on the shore there?
Our axe head has not been polished up as much as the one in the link in Armagh County Museum - or maybe it was and was then in the sea for a long time?
Axe head from Whitepark Bay
Contributed by Elizabeth Porter
Most of the content on A History of the World is created by the contributors, who are the museums and members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the Â鶹Éç or the British Museum. The Â鶹Éç is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site’s House Rules please Flag This Object.
About this object
Click a button to explore other objects in the timeline
- Location
-
Whitepark Bay, North Antrim
- Culture
- Period
- Theme
- Size
-
- H:
- 11cm
- W:
- 7cm
- D:
- 3cm
- Colour
- Material
View more objects from people in Northern Ireland.
Podcast
Highlights from the collection
Â鶹Éç iD
Â鶹Éç navigation
Â鶹Éç links
Â鶹Éç © 2014 The Â鶹Éç is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
Share this link: