The object is a Neolithic hammerstone made between 4500 – 2000 BC. The tool was made from sandstone and would have been used as a hammer and a tool. The two markings on the end of the stone have been created by the hammering, showing signs of repeated battering, which demonstrates that this was not a decorative piece. They were applied to the edges of other stones so that the impact from the force caused brittle fractures.
Hammerstones are the oldest identified tool of early peoples and also one of the simplest. This precise hammerstone was found at North Uist in the Western Isles and is available in our Fantastic Flint loan kit, which covers flint knapping and working in the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze Ages (c. 8500 BC to c. 500 BC).
If you would like to book any of our educational kits or if you have any questions, please email education@archaeologyscotland.org.uk with ‘loans’ in the subject line, or click on the link below.
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