Neolithic Fishing Weight

Age: 4th millennium BC (4000 BC)
Period: Neolithic or New Stone Age (10,000 BC to 2000 BC)
Location: Normandy, France
Materials: Stone 

In Europe at this time, people primarily lived in small family groups or tribes. The era also marks the significant shift from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one centred on agriculture. Communities began practising farming, moving from food gathering to food production, and domesticating animals such as cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep, providing reliable sources of meat, milk, and labour.

The Neolithic era is characterised by the widespread use of ground or polished stone tools and weapons. Neolithic people exhibited remarkable skill in working with stone, fashioning it into tools with specific designs suited for tasks like grinding, chopping, and cutting. 

The stone of this Neolithic fishing weight is reasonably soft and would have been drilled by using a hard stick, flints, water and patience. Linen cords were attached using the hole and would perhaps have been used to weigh down lines that would have cultivated shellfish, much like we do today.

This Neolithic fishing weight (4000 BC) has been mounted on a bespoke solid oak stand.

Base: Solid European Oak, locally sourced from our Cheshire-based supplier and specially selected for a smooth grain. Hand-finished to order in our studio with an optional black wood stain or traditional beeswax varnish.

Mount: Stainless steel 

Base Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.5 cm

Our stands are handcrafted in Cheshire and are designed to cradle the specimen, offering a 360° perspective and highlighting its best features while still preserving the natural form.

The picture shown is an example of the quality that you can expect to receive. Please be aware that, as these are natural products, they are subject to some variation.

We work closely with reputable suppliers all over the world to source high quality, genuine specimens. Each artefact comes with a certificate of authenticity documenting its provenance, including the age and location where it was discovered.