Early Bronze Age Axe Hammerhead, Thatcham and Theale

This axe hammerhead was excavated between Thatcham and Theale and is made from sandstone.  Axe hammers were stone age tools similar to modern day hatchets with one end having a sharpened cutting edge and the other used for hammering.  The middle of the tool has a hole for a handle to be inserted.  This example of an axe hammer dates to the early bronze age and shows that despite bronze being used more and more to make tools, stone tools were still being produced.  This could have been due to the ready availability of stone compared to bronze for manufacturing, or a lack of knowledge of how to make either bronze and bronze tools.