A lecture entitled, The green treasures from the magic mountains: the 'life story' of the magnificent Neolithic axehead from Breamore, will be given by Alison Sheridan at Devizes Town Hall, Wiltshire (England), from 7:00 pm on Tuesday, 15 June 2010.
     The 'magnificant' Neolithic jadeitite axehead was found at Breamore, just across the Wiltshire border in Hampshire, although its exact findspot is not known. Before being acquired by the Museum in 1916 it had been used as a paper knife - but because it tore more leaves than it cut it was thrown out of a window! It fell on a stone and the end was chipped.  
     The Breamore axehead, along with other Alpine axheads from Britain and Ireland, has recently been the subject of investigation and analysis as part of the major international research programme - Programme JADE. Investigations have revealed that the raw material for this axehead is Alpine jadeitite, possibly from Pontinvrea in north-western Italy. It is likely that the axehead was brought over to south west England around 3900 BCE by an immigrant farming community from Normandy or northern Brittany. Further information about the axehead can be found in a feature artice available online and originally published on British Archaeology magazine issue 96.
     The Breamore axehead is on display at the Wiltshire Heritage Museum in Devizes. Booking is essential and cost of the ticket is £ 8.00 from the Devizes Festival box office.
     
Source: Wiltshire Heritage Museum (May 2010)