Description

Summary: 1 stone (dolorite) battle-axe with flared ends, found by the chest of a primary male and female (shaman/metalworker?) inhumation in bowl barrow Upton Lovell G2a, excavated by William Cunnington

Research results

A stone axehead found by William Cunnington with the primary double-inhumation of the Bronze Age barrow Upton Lovell G2a, in the early 19th century. The unusual nature of the burial, as well as the wide range of grave goods, many of which now thought to be metal-working tools, led to this grave becoming known as the 'shaman burial'.

This object and the other grave goods found with the Upton Lovell G2a primary double-burial have been examined by Tsoraki et al. (in prep.) as part of the Beyond the Three Age System project. This analysis identified light percussive activity as well as traces of gold alloy consistent with a Bronze Age date, suggesting the axe may have been resused as a metalworking tool.