MHG13343 - Polished Stone Axes - Dunrobin Castle
Summary
Three polished stone axes, two unprovenanced, on display in Dunrobin Museum.
Type and Period (1)
- FINDSPOT (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2401 BC)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
There are three polished stone axes, provenance unknown, on display in Dunrobin Museum (Accession nos: X5, X6, 1874.1).
X5 is of fine-grain brown stone, 8.5" long and 2.7" maximum width.
X6 is of brown stone 5" long and 2.4" in maximum width.
1874.1 is from Octo (? Ochtow: NC 471 008) near Rosehall It is 4.6" long and 1.6" maximum width, of pale grey weathered stone with dark crystals
Information from TS of Catalogue of Dunrobin Museum, by A S Henshall.
One of these axes (X5?) may be the 'jadeite' ceremonial axe noted as being in Dunrobin Castle Museum, and deduced to be from the vicinity of Dunrobin (Piggott and Powell 1951; Smith 1963).
The axe is 23.1cms (9.1ins) long, 7.6cms (3.0ins) wide, and 2.0cms (0.8ins) thick, and ranges in colour from green to olive-brown. It is of Type 1a and, near the broad end is noticeably flatter on one face than the other.
S Piggott and T G E Powell 1951; W C Smith 1963.
At least two of the axeheads were catalogued during an inventory of Dunrobin Castle Museum's collection in 2019 by ARCH. One was listed from Ochtow and the other was unprovenanced. These were listed under Acc. No. 1874.1 and X5. A third unprovenced axe was also cataologued which may be X6. 1874.1 was on display in case 31 D. X5 was on display in case 31 A, with a replica haft. <1>
Sources/Archives (3)
- --- SHG1669 Text/Publication/Article: Piggott and Powell, S and T G E. 1951. 'The excavation of three Neolithic chambered cairns in Galloway, 1949', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 83 1948-9, p.103-61. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 103-61. 158.
- --- SHG958 Text/Publication/Article: Smith, W C. 1963. 'Jade axes from sites in the British Isles', Proc Prehist Soc Vol. 29 1963, p.133-72. Proc Prehist Soc. 133-72. 168.
- <1> SHG28514 Collection/Finds Collection: Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH). 2019. Finds Collection At Dunrobin Castle Museum. 1874.1, X5, ?X6.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NC 8500 0000 (4m by 4m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NC80SE |
| Geographical Area | SUTHERLAND |
| Civil Parish | GOLSPIE |
Finds (3)
- POLISHED AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2401 BC)
- POLISHED AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2401 BC)
- POLISHED AXEHEAD (Neolithic - 4000 BC to 2401 BC)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/6545/dunrobin (Link to online HES Canmore record)
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