How did an antiquarian record Arbor Low in the 1700s?
(read more)'Leaf-shaped' flint arrowhead
DERSB : 2015.4.6.2
Flint arrowhead found near Gib Hill, 6,000–5,000 years old (early to mid Neolithic). Collected as part of the Peak Lithics Transect carried out jointly by Manpower Services Commision archaeological scheme and Arteamus.
Gib Hill is the site of a prominent round barrow close to Arbor Low henge monument. The round barrow was built around 4,000 years ago in the early Bronze Age. Cremated bones were buried inside in a stone box (also known as a cist). However, the barrow was actually built on a much more ancient mound. Archaeologists believe the site may have originally been the site of a long barrow, built around 5,000 years ago during the Neolithic.
Leaf-shaped arrowheads first appear around 6,000 years ago (in the early Neolithic) and are so-called because of their shape. The broader end was attached to a wooden arrowshaft. Leaf-shaped arrowheads were reasonably quick to make and offered greater range and accuracy over previous forms. This might have been because the landscape was becoming more open and less wooded.
Additional information
- Description: height 0.1cm; weight 0.004 kg; width 2cm; length 5.3cm
- Rights: Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0 Buxton Museum and Art Gallery (part of Derbyshire County Council)
Wonders linked to this object:
Before the Henge
Evidence suggests that the landscape around Arbor Low was used for thousands of years, even before the henge and barrows were built
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