A Bronze Age axe head unearthed in a Lincolnshire field is baffling archaeologists – because they think it is too heavy to use.
Made of stone, the axe head weighs 4.4lb and was produced some time between 2000BC and 1600BC. It was found when a walker stumbled across it last summer in a farmer’s field near Scotter, north of Gainsborough.
Once the axe head was cleaned it was reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme – a project run by North Lincolnshire Council which records artefacts found by the public.
The artefact is a traditional axe shape and features a hole through the middle where a stick would have been placed as a handle. Archaeologists often refer to these items as axe hammers.
But principal keeper of archaeology Kevin Leahy (57) said the artefact would have been hard to use. Continues here...