MHG415 - Basalt Axe Hammer or Battle Axe - Wick Harbour
Summary
Axe Hammer, Wick Harbour
Type and Period (1)
- FINDSPOT (Bronze Age - 2400 BC to 551 BC)
Protected Status
- None recorded
Full Description
A basalt axe-hammer, dredged up in Wick Harbour from bed of estuary of Wick River, near back of North Quay, was donated to NMAS in 1928 by Dr J C Simpson (Acc No: AH 175). It has deep semicircular indentations on the top and bottom edges, measuring 4 3/8ins long, 2 13/16ins deep and 2 1/16ins thick; the perforation is bi-conical and measures 9/16ins diameter at centre. Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1928.
No further info. Visited by OS (W D J) 20 April 1962.
Stone axe-hammer of basalt, 4 3/8 inches in length, 2.75 inch in greatest breadth and 2 inches in greatest thickness opposite the shaft-hole in centre. The form is not a common one in Scotland. It was found in bed of estuary of river of Wick, near back of North Quay, a good many years ago.
Proc Soc Antiq Scot 1895.
Reclassified as battle-axe. F E S Roe 1966.
This battle-axe is of Northern Variant form with extreme expansion of blade. It has been petrologically identified as amphibolite.
T H McK Clough and W A Cummins 1988.
Sources/Archives (5)
- --- SHG1619 Text/Publication/Article: Roe, F E S. 1966. 'The battle-axe series in Britain', Proc Prehist Soc Vol. 32 1966, p.199-245. Proc Prehist Soc. 199-245. 241, No. 380.
- --- SHG28278 Dataset/Database File: National Museums Scotland. 2019. Highland Finds from the NMS Catalogue. National Museums Scotland. Digital. AH 175.
- --- SHG3163 Text/Publication/Article: Clough and Cummins, T H McK and W A. 1988. Lists of identifications. 141-264. 234, no. CAT 1.
- --- SHG548 Text/Publication/Article: PSAS. 1928. 'Donations to and purchases for the Library and Museum', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 62 1927-8, p.8-22, 81-5, 133-38, 164-6, 225-82, 255-9. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 8-22, 81-5, 133-38, 164-6. 81-2; illust.
- --- SHG558 Text/Publication/Article: PSAS. 1895. 'Donations to and purchases for the Museum and library', Proc Soc Antiq Scot Vol. 29 1894-5, p.5-10, 63-7, 104-7, 206-10, 241-3, 272-7. Proc Soc Antiq Scot. 5-10, 63-7, 104-7, 206-10. 65-6.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ND 3679 5080 (4m by 4m) (2 map features) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ND35SE |
| Geographical Area | CAITHNESS |
Finds (1)
- AXE HAMMER? (Bronze Age - 2400 BC? to 551 BC?)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Investigations/Events (0)
External Links (1)
- https://canmore.org.uk/site/9142 (View RCAHMS Canmore entry for this site)
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