Palaeolithic Lyngby Axe

This reindeer antler was used as a multi-purpose tool by humans in the Upper Palaeolithic period. Known as a Lyngby axe, so called because the first examples of this type of reindeer antler tool were discovered in Ncrre Lyngby, Denmark, this example is the only one ever recorded in Britain.

The length of the antler, known as the beam, is assumed to be the handle, and the short protruding branch, known as the bez tine, is the blade. This example is longer in length than examples found in Europe, but the tine blade is smaller than the others, and the scalloped facets are unique. The brown discolouration shown in the image is not a natural feature of the antler but reflects a modern attempt to seal the object and preserve it from damage.

The weight and balance of the axe makes it unlikely that it was used for woodworking, unlike similar examples found in Europe. This axe was most likely used on soft material such as leather, meat, fat or plant material, with comparisons being made to Mesolithic skin working tools. The purpose of the scalloped facets is unclear but suggests wear made by continuous rubbing of a soft material such as a tent guy rope, or harness strap for a sledge.

This find of a Lyngby axe in an Earls Barton gravel quarry shows that hunter-gatherers in the last glacial period (32,000 - 11,700 years ago) had spread from northern Europe across the land bridge to England. They were possibly following reindeer herds, which were their main source of food and materials.

Number 7 of the objects selected for the A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects Exhibition 2025

Main image: © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.