Maritime Academy Giant Handaxe

3D Model

Please enjoy exploring this digital model of the giant handaxe discovered during archaeological excavations carried out by Archaeology South-East, part of the UCL Institute of Archaeology ahead of construction of the Maritime Academy School, Frindsbury. This work was commissioned by Bowmer & Kirkland on behalf of the Department for Education.

This artefact, a very large flint cutting tool, or handaxe, has a maximum length of 29.6cm and is currently the third largest known to be found in Britain. The size of the handaxe and its distinctive symmetrical elongated tapering tip is typical of a type of handaxe known as a ficron. Similar tools are known from the Medway Valley and across southern Britain.

This model was generated by Dr SarahMDuffy.uk using a Photogrammetric appoach which produces an accurate record of an object’s size and shape. A link to a higher resolution model can be found in our open access paper on the handaxe and its significance is available here.