Flint blade, East Yorkshire, c.3000BC
This stone blade was never meant to be used. It was made over 5000 years ago to be special and look impressive. It is so finely crafted and thin that it would have broken if used normally.
This may have been a special object used in ceremonies. It was buried with someone in East Yorkshire to show how important they were. This blade shows how people have always wanted to make special objects.
This is a ceremonial flint, also known as a âplano convex knifeâ.
5000-4500 years ago there were changes in the way people treated some of their dead. People of Yorkshire began burying their dead with objects which showed the status of the person in the community. This reflected the power of individuals to control communities and establish traditions.
The âimportantâ dead were mostly buried individually in shafts and pits. The grass was then covered by round barrows.
In 1890 a barrow known as Duggelby Hove was excavated by J.R.Mortimer. It contained three adults with rich objects, buried in a deep pit cut into the hard chalk. This blade is one of these objects.
John Robert Mortimer (1825-1911) was a East Yorkshire corn merchant. He became one of the most successful and highly-regarded archaeologists in England. Mortimer collected a broad range of prehistoric artefacts found on the Yorkshire Wolds. These were mainly discovered by farm workers. He taught them to recognise ancient artefacts and rewarded them for their discoveries.
From the 1860s Mortimer became involved in the excavation of ancient burial mounds. He excavated 360 of them with the assistance of his brother, Robert. The finds from these barrows formed the basis of a private museum opened by him in Driffield.
Following his death, the collection was purchased by Hull Corporation. Many of its treasures can today be seen in the galleries of the Hull & East Riding Museum.
