THE AXE FACTOR: EXPLORING NEOLITHIC STONE AXE PRODUCTION, EXCHANGE AND COMMUNICATION

Six thousand years ago, the Central Lake District was the focus of an intensive production process with a wide distribution network. A very particular type of stone, which outcropped around the highest fells, was much sought after by Neolithic communities. They quarried, shaped, and polished it to create valuable axe-heads that were traded throughout Britain and Ireland. Drawing on evidence from archaeology and ethnography, this course will explore some of the social aspects of this process, from the expeditions and possible rituals associated with stone extraction, to the reasons that this special material was so highly prized.