The Ancient Stone Implements, Weapons and Ornaments, of Great Britain: Second Edition, Revised.

Before Britain's deep past could be understood, someone had to gather, describe, and make sense of the flint and stone objects turned up by plough and quarry. This classic survey did exactly that, and helped found a science.

What it's about

This revised second edition offers a comprehensive account of the stone implements, weapons, and ornaments of prehistoric Great Britain, drawn from a lifetime of study and collection. It describes and classifies the axes, arrowheads, scrapers, knives, hammers, and ornaments of the Stone Age, distinguishing types and periods, discussing how the objects were made and used, and setting British finds beside comparable ones from elsewhere. Copious illustrations make the forms and workmanship of these ancient artifacts vivid to the reader.

Themes

The book is a work of patient classification and reasoning, exemplifying the empirical spirit that established prehistory as a discipline. It grapples with questions of antiquity, technology, and human development at a time when the great age of humankind was newly established, and it treats humble stone objects as evidence worthy of the most careful attention.

Why it still matters

As one of the standard early references on British prehistoric artifacts, the survey shaped how generations of archaeologists and collectors identified and understood stone tools. Its systematic method and its wealth of illustration retain real value, and it stands as a monument to the founding era of scientific archaeology. Historians of the discipline return to it still.

Who it's for

For archaeologists, collectors, and students of prehistory, and for readers fascinated by the deep human past and the objects that survive from it. A serious, rewarding reference from archaeology's formative years.