The chronology of T-shaped antler axe technology in northeastern Europe

We present new AMS 14C dates and technological characteristics of an enigmatic osseous implement - the T-shaped antler axe. T-shaped axes (T-axes) are made of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) antler beams with the perforation for a shaft through the removed trez tine. Our study centres on 33 axes from Belarus, Latvia and Lithuania, most of which were found during drainage of wetlands or sediment extraction in the 20th century, and thus remained unknown internationally. We successfully dated 19 of these artefacts, and here we compare their dates to published dates of T-shaped antler axes from western Europe (Belgium, The Netherlands, western Germany, Scotland), the southwestern Baltic (Denmark, northern Germany and northwestern Poland) and southeastern Europe (Ukraine). Radiocarbon results suggest the gradual spread of this specific antler tool producing technique from southern Europe towards the Baltic during the 6(th )millennium BC. The technological characteristics of T-axes in combination with the radiocarbon data enable us to preliminary discuss the chronology of aspects of T-axe production.