Danish Stone Age. Asymmetrical flake axe in flint. Late Ertebølle Period: 4500-3900 B.C.

Danish Stone Age. Asymmetrical flake axe in flint. Mesolithic / Middle Stone Age. Late Ertebølle Period: 4500-3900 B.C.

Provenance: Originates from old Danish antiquities collection.

Find site: Zealand/Funen.

Literature: FLINT from Denmark's old days. By Peter Vang Petersen. Page 96-97.

Measurements approx.: 7,8x4,5x1,7 cm.

Condition: see pictures.

The Ertebølle period lasted approximately 5400-3900 B.C. and was a hunter-gatherer culture, where people lived by hunting, fishing, and collecting. The flint axes are some of the period's characteristic tools. They were made by striking a thin slice from a flint nodule and flaking it, so the edge became sharp. The flint axes were especially used to process wood, including the production of boats, houses, and other tools. They were practical, because they were relatively easy to produce and could be sharpened or replaced.