| Description | An obsidian knife dating from the Neolithic period. The knife is formed on a secondary flake which is triangular in section. The left edge is retouched from both sides to form the blade, and there is some backing on the right edge. The obsidian is very glossy and is almost black but translucent in places, with swirling blue green inclusions. Discovered during field walking in 01/2008. The finder took the find to the Department of Earth Sciences at Leeds University who identified it as obsidian. Obsidian has perfect conchoidal fracture and was deemed even superior to flint for flaking in to tools and weapons. Obsidian was highly valued particularly for the production of blades and it became an object of trade in the Neolithic period (Oakley 1975, p.20). Obsidian is particularly rare with the main sources being on the Continent and Mediterranean. As of 22/05/2008 there are no finds of obsidian recorded on the West Yorkshire HER computer database and hence the find is given a class III listing on the basis of its rarity.
Length 62.4mm, width 26.7mm, thickness 15.5mm, weight 29.71g.
PAS Ref. SWYOR DA8E11 |