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The Use and Significance of Early Bronze Age Stone Battle-axes and Axe-hammers from Northern Britain and the Isle of Man

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 July 2020

Amber Sofia Roy*
Affiliation:
43 Dover Street, Norwich, NR2 3LG. Email: [email protected]

Abstract

The perforated stone battle-axes and axe-hammers of Early Bronze Age Britain have been used either to interpret the status of individuals they were buried with or have been overlooked; this is especially the case with axe-hammers. Previous understandings have assumed battle-axes were purely ceremonial, while the rougher axe-hammers were neither functional nor prestigious, being too large and too crude to be prestige items. Studies of the 20th century were focused on creating a typology and understanding the manufacture and petrological sources of the stone, concluding that haphazard exploitation of stone was used to create a variety of different shapes of both implements. This paper revisits the question of how these artefacts were used. It presents the results of the first large-scale application of use-wear analysis to British Early Bronze Age battle-axes and axe-hammers, from northern Britain and the Isle of Man. Combining the results of the wear analysis with experimental archaeology and contextual analysis, it is argued that these objects were functional tools, some of which saw prolonged use that might have spanned multiple users. The evidence shows that the few implements found in burial contexts were both functional and symbolic; their inclusion in burial contexts drawing upon relational links which developed through the itineraries of these objects. It is also apparent that use and treatment were similar across all types of battle-axe and axe-hammer, with some regional variation in the deposition of axe-hammers in south-west Scotland. It is concluded that battle-axes and axe-hammers had varied and multiple roles and significances and that it is possible to discover what each artefact was used for by deploying a use-wear analysis methodology.

Résumé

RÉSUMÉ

Usage et signification des haches et haches-marteaux de combat de l’Age du Bronze ancien de la Grande Bretagne septentrionale et de l’Île de Man, de Amber Sofia Roy

Les haches et haches-marteaux de combat perforées de la Grande-Bretagne et du début de l’Age de Bronze ontété utilisées soit pour interpréter le status d’individus avec lesquels elles avaient été enterrées ou ‘ont pas été prises en considération, ce qui fut particulièrement le cas avec les haches-marteaux. De précédentes compréhensions ont supposé que les haches ede combat étaient purement cérémonielles, tandis que les haches-marteaux, plus rudes, n’étaient ni fonctionnelles, ni prestigieuses, étant trop grosses et trop rudimentaires pour être des objets de prestige. Les études du 20 ième siècle se concentrèrent sur la création d’une typologie et la compréhension de la fabrication et les origines pétrologiques de la pierre, concluant qu’une exploitation au hasard de la pierre était utilisée pour créer une variété de formes différentes de ces deux outils. Le présent et article revisite la question de savoir comment étaient utilisés ces artifacts. Il présente les résultats de la première application sur une grande échelle de l’utilisation de l’analyse de l’usure sur des haches et haches-marteaux de combat du début de l’Age de Bronze britannique en Grande-Bretagne du nord et sur l’île de Man. En combinant les résultats de l’analyse de l’usure avec l’archéologie expérimentale et une anelyse contextuelle, les auteurs argument ent que ces objets étaient des outils fonctionnels dont certains avaient subi une utilisation prolongée qui pourrait s’être eétendue à de multiples utilisateurs. Les témoignages montrent que le petit nombre d’outils trouvés dans les contextes d’inhumation étaient à la fois fonctionnels et symboliques, leur, inclusion dans les contextes d’inhumation s’appuyant sur les liens relationnels qui s’étaient développés à travers les itinéraires de ces objets. Il est aussi appparent que l’usage et le traitement étaient similaires à travers tous les types de hache et hache-marteau de combat avec des variations régionales dans le dépôt des haches-marteaux dans le sud-ouest de l’Ecosse. Nous concluons que les haches et les haches-marteaux de combat avaient de multiples et divers rôles et significations et qu’il est possible de découvrir ce à quoi servait chaque artifact en déployant la méthodologie de l’analyse de l’usage et l’usure.

Zusammenfassung

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG

Nutzung und Bedeutung frühbronzezeitlicher steinerner Streitäxte und Hammeräxte aus dem Norden Großbritanniens und der Isle of Man, von Amber Sofia Roy

Die durchlochten Streitäxte und Hammeräxte aus Stein aus der Frühbronzezeit Großbritanniens wurden entweder herangezogen, um den Status jener Individuen abzuleiten, mit denen sie begraben worden waren, oder sie wurden übersehen; dies gilt insbesondere für Hammeräxte. Bislang wurde angenommen, dass Streitäxte ausschließlich zeremonielle Funktionen hatten, während die gröberen Hammeräxte als weder funktional noch prestigeträchtig galten, da sie zu groß und zu roh für Prestigeobjekte waren. Im 20. Jahrhundert fokussierten die Untersuchungen auf das Erstellen einer Typologie und das Erfassen der Herstellung und der petrologischen Quellen der Steine und kamen zu dem Schluss, dass eine wahllose Nutzung von Gesteinen zu einer Vielfalt unterschiedlicher Formen beider Gerätearten führte. Dieser Beitrag untersucht erneut, wie diese Artefakte genutzt wurden. Er legt die Ergebnisse der ersten umfassenden Anwendung von Gebrauchsspurenanalysen auf Streit- und Hammeräxte der britischen Frühbronzezeit aus dem Norden Großbritanniens und der Isle of Man vor. Auf Grundlage der Kombination der Ergebnisse der Gebrauchsspurenanalyse mit experimenteller Archäologie und Kontextanalyse wird argumentiert, dass diese Objekte funktionale Werkzeuge waren, von denen einige über längere Zeit und möglicherweise von verschiedenen Nutzern gebraucht worden waren. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die wenigen in Grabkontexten gefundenen Exemplare sowohl funktional als auch symbolisch waren; mit ihrer Verwendung im Kontext der Bestattung verweisen sie auf Beziehungen, die durch die Biographien der Objekte entstanden waren. Es wird zudem deutlich, dass Benutzung und Behandlung bei allen Typen von Streit- und Hammeräxten gleich waren, mit manchen regionalen Unterschieden bei der Deponierung von Hammeräxten in Südwestschottland. Es wird der Schluss gezogen, dass Streit- und Hammeräxte unterschiedliche und vielfältige Rollen und Bedeutungen hatten und dass es möglich ist festzustellen, wofür jedes Artefakt gebraucht wurde, wenn Gebrauchsspurenanalysen angewandt werden.

Resumen

RESUMEN

El uso y significado de las hachas de guerra y los martillos-hacha en piedra del norte de Gran Bretaña y la Isla de Man, por Amber Sofia Roy

Las hachas de guerra y los martillos-hacha de piedra perforados del Bronce Inicial de Gran Bretaña se han utilizado para interpretar el estatus de los individuos con los cuáles fueron enterrados o, por el contrario, han sido ignorados, especialmente en el caso de los martillo-hacha. Interpretaciones previas han asumido que las hachas de guerra eran puramente ceremoniales, mientras que los irregulares martillos-hacha no eran ni funcionales ni de prestigio, siendo demasiado grandes e irregulares para ser considerados elementos de prestigio. Los estudios del siglo XX se centraron en la creación de una tipología y en la comprensión del proceso de manufactura y la identificación petrológica de la roca, concluyendo que rocas, de explotación fortuita, fueron empleadas en la elaboración de una gran variedad de morfologías diferentes de ambas herramientas. Este artículo revisa la cuestión de cómo fueron empleados estos artefactos. Se presentan los resultados de la primera aplicación a gran escala de análisis funcionales a las hachas de guerra y los martillos de la Edad del Bronce, desde el norte de Gran Bretaña a la Isla de Man. Combinando los resultados del análisis de las huellas de uso con la arqueología experimental y el análisis contextual, se sostiene que estos objetos son útiles funcionales, algunos de los cuales vieron un uso prolongado que podría haber abarcado múltiples usuarios. La evidencia refleja que algunas de las herramientas procedentes de contextos funerarios fueron tanto funcionales como simbólicas; su inclusión en los contextos funerarios refleja los vínculos de relación que se desarrollaron a lo largo de los itinerarios seguidos por estos objetos. También es evidente que los usos y tratamientos fueron similares en todos los tipos de hachas y martillos, con algunas variaciones regionales en la deposición de los martillos hacha en el suroeste de Escocia. Se concluye que ambos útiles tuvieron papeles y significados variados y múltiples y que es posible descubrir para qué se empleó cada artefacto mediante la metodología propuesta de análisis de huellas de uso.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© The Prehistoric Society, 2020

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