Page:Prehistoric Britain.djvu/144

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PREHISTORIC BRITAIN

reached our day, are now of inestimable value to archæologists, as they disclose the technical skill, the capacity of adapting special means to special ends, and the general intelligence of their respective makers.

Implements.—The objects classified as implements include—axes, adzes, chisels, hammers, knives, saws, gouges, scrapers, grinding and polishing stones, domestic appliances, etc.

Axes may be divided into two groups, according as they have, or have not, a hafthole. The former are rarely made of flint, even in districts where this material is abundant, owing to the difficulty of perforating such a hard substance. The non-perforated axes have a wedge shape with one cutting edge running parallel to the axis of the handle, the other being blunt or roughly pointed. Some, however, have both ends brought to a cutting edge. As a rule they have polished surfaces, with the exception of those made of flint, which are generally ground only at the cutting edge. The members of this group vary so much in composition, finish and dimensions that no two are exactly alike; but yet many of them have so many points of resemblance that certain types are recognized as peculiar to special areas—a fact no doubt due to prevailing local influences and customs. It is marvellous to what precision experts have carried the art of assorting these implements according to their provenance. In Scandinavia, owing to the abundance of flint in certain localities, we find specimens