Stone Age Double-Sided Axehead

Cordiform with lateral chamfers to the upper face, made from a large thick flint flake; marked to the butt 'Happisburgh 2019 JA Bay One AP'. 180 grams, 74 mm



Found by Mr Anthony Pryke in Happisburgh, Norfolk, UK, January 2019 near site 1.

Discovery by Mr A Pryke after the 'Beast from the East Storm' which stripped the beach of the sand and helped to erode the Palaeolithic artefacts from the ancient Thames river bed. During the time the artefacts were dropped, the Thames ran through North Norfolk and what is now Happisburgh before it was pushed down to its current position in London via the Ice age glacial melts. The site of Happisburgh in Norfolk has helped to push the history of inhabitation of the British Isles back by 200,000 making it a site of special importance.

Small sub-cordate handaxe of Wymer's type G, of glassy black flint with a few paler inclusions towards the butt; strip of light grey cortex remaining to the dorsal face at this end; flake scars appearing to be soft hammer struck with quite thin and invasive removals. 100 grams, 79 mm



Found Happisburgh, Norfolk, UK, Tuesday 1st October 2019 - Saturday 30th November 2019. Acquired from the finder Mr P Macro. Accompanied by a copy of the British Museum's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) report no.NMS-3AE638.

Discovery by P Macro after the 'Beast from the East Storm', which stripped the beach of the sand and helped to erode the Palaeolithic artefacts from the ancient Thames river bed. During the time the artefacts were dropped, the Thames ran through North Norfolk and what is now Happisburgh before it was pushed down to its current position in London via the Ice Age glacial melts. The site of Happisburgh in Norfolk has helped to push the history of inhabitation of the British Isles back by 200,000 making it a site of special importance. The blank for this piece was probably a large struck primary flake; the ventral face (non-cortical side) has an unmodified section of this visible still, and ripples and fissures are observable. The point has a tranchet blow to the ventral face (edge type vi) to sharpen it, the dorsal face has been effectively thinned, making the lateral cutting edges very acute and sharp. This thinning has produced a slight curve to the point when viewed from the side.

Dressed on all faces, symmetrical in profile with elongated, trapezoidal plan and rectangular cross-section; slightly curved broad sides, slanting neck with slightly rounded cutting edge; narrow faces with traces of retouching, broad faces partly polished at forward end, rear retouched for attachment of the haft; grey flint (silex), marbled in various shades of grey. 663 grams, 18 cm



Ex Dr Siegfried Zimmer, circa 1950.