Neolithic Axehead, Orphir, Orkney

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This Neolithic axehead was discovered in the late 19th century on the island of Orphir, off the coast of Orkney. A sample of this axe was extracted by the Implement Petrology Group in the 1980s and revealed that it was crafted from a type of rock known as Horneblende. This remarkable artefact once belonged to James Walls Cursiter, a collector who amassed an impressive collection of prehistoric relics from Orkney and Shetland during his lifetime. In 1914, Cursiter donated this collection to the Hunterian Museum, where it remains on display today. The axehead measures 90.6mm in length, 45.2mm in width, and 28.8mm in thickness, with a weight of 186.3 grams. It is catalogued as GLAHM B.1914.609 in the Hunterian Museum's collection, and is protected by copyright courtesy of the University of Glasgow.