This unusual artefact was discovered in V. Gordon Childe’s 1929 excavations on the late Neolithic (c.3100-2500 cal BC) site of Skara Brae, Sandwick, Orkney. This object was found with several other unusual artefacts south of the ‘Market Place’ in a corner between two walls. The artefacts were found in a layer of sand and it was suggested that they had fallen from the wall tops.
This artefact is manufactured from a fine siltstone, probably of local origin. A comparable artefact was found in Quoyness tomb, Sanday. The function of these artefacts is unclear, but they could have been used as weapons.
For more information on Skara Brae, see CANMORE: https://canmore.org.uk/site/1663/skara-brae
L:176.2mm, B:107.3mm, T:56.2mm. W:742.6g.
This model was produced for a Leverhulme Trust funded project ‘Working stone, making communities: technology and identity on prehistoric Orkney’ Directed by Prof Mark Edmonds, University of York.
NMS X.HA 666. © National Museums Scotland.
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