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

Danish Stone Age. Symmetrical flake axe in flint. Mesolithic hunter-gatherer / Early 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 prehistory. By Peter Vang Petersen. Page 96-97.

Measurements approx.: 6x4,6x1,2 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 gathering. The flake axes are some of the period's characteristic tools. They were produced by flint by striking a thin slice from a flint nodule and flaking it, so the edge became sharp. The flake axes were especially used to process wood, among other things for the production of boats, houses, and other tools. They were practical, because they were relatively easy to produce and could be sharpened or replaced.