Stone axe

The elaborately crafted stone axe from Dzwonowo is an excellent example of the skill of Late Neolithic stonemasons and the sense of aesthetics of a community from a culture with corded ceramics. It is a battle axe with an asymmetrical body in side view, slightly arched and widening from the hilt towards the distinctly higher blade, which bears traces of re-sharpening and was originally lowered to form the so-called beard. Careful smoothing and polishing of the surface brought out the natural layering of the raw material, which adds to its beauty. The processing of its surface was done according to a stylistic manner known in West Pomerania from only a few axe finds. This is called faceting - a multi-granular shaping of the sides as a result of strong grinding with a change of angle, so as to obtain the effect of many planes. This feature links the specimen with the type of Central German faceted axes, which are one of the markers of the so-called Central European horizon of the corded pottery culture, i.e. the phase that preceded the intensification of regional differentiation of inventories with corded ceramics. The circumstances of the discovery of this monument are controversial. Between 1857 and 1859 the collection of the Society of History and Antiquities of Pomerania in Szczecin received several archaeological finds made during the construction of the railway, which were donated by the management of the Society of the Berlin-Szczecin Railway. Among them was a stone tool and fragments of pottery from the vicinity of Dzwonowo. They were listed under a number consistent with that on the presented axe. However, there is another stone axe in the collection of the National Museum in Szczecin, bearing the same number, although not as impressive or distinctive. It is known that this faceted specimen, along with over a hundred and fifty of the museum's most valuable pieces, represented Pomeranian antiquities at an 1880 exhibition of archaeological and anthropological finds from Germany held in Berlin.

Krzysztof Kowalski