Page:The Ancient Stone Implements (1897).djvu/97

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THE COMMON FORMS.
75

now in mine. It is of grey flint, and has been formed from a large flake, a considerable portion of the flat face of which has been left untouched by the subsequent working. All along the sides, however, as well as at the ends, it has been chipped on both faces to a symmetrical form. The outer surface of the original flake has almost, entirely disappeared during the process of manufacturing the adze, for such it appears to have been rather than an axe. The form is suggestive of the tool having been copied from one in metal, and is very like that of the flat bronze celts. It may belong to the transitional period, when bronze was coming into use, but was still too scarce to have superseded flint.


Fig. 23.—Reach Fen, Cambridge. 1/2

The commonest form of the symmetrically-chipped but unground celts is that shown in Fig. 23. The particular specimen engraved is in my own collection; and. like so many other antiquities of this class, came from the Fen district, having been found in Reach Fen in 1852.

It is equally convex on both faces, and, from its close resemblance in form to so many of the polished celts, it was probably destined for grinding. I have another of the same form, 61/2 inches long, from the neighbourhood of Thetford.

A magnificent specimen of this class, but wider in proportion to its length, found near Mildenhall, is preserved in the Christy Collection.

I have a very fine specimen 9 inches long, from the Thames, and others 61/2 and 51/4 inches long, of a wider form, and delicately chipped all round, from Burwell Fen. The late Mr. James Carter, of Cambridge, had one of the narrower kind, 9 inches long, found at Blunt's Hill, near Witham, Essex. The same form, with numerous modifications, was found in the pits at Cissbury,[1] which will shortly be described. One about 81/4 inches long, in outline like Fig. 20, was found in Anglesea.[2] Another 91/2 inches long, was found near Farnham,[3] Dorset.

One of the most remarkable discoveries of celts of this character, is that of which I have seen a MS. memorandum in the hands of the late Mrs. Dickinson,[4] of Hurstpierpoint, Sussex, who herself had four of the
  1. Arch., vol. xlii., pl. viii. 17.
  2. Arch. Jour., vol. xxxi., p. 301.
  3. "Exc. on Cranborne Chase," vol. ii., pl. xc.
  4. See also Chichester vol. of Arch. Inst., p. 61.