Stone age ax with wooden handle

Archaeologists in Denmark unearthed the stone age ax that still had wooden handles.

The ax is about 5,500 years old, belonging to the Neolithic period. It was found in an archaeological survey of a tunnel construction project in the town of Rodbyhavn, in the island of Lolland.

Low oxygen levels in the soil help preserve the wooden handle of the ax.(Photo: Museum Lolland-Falster)

The BBC said the ax seemed to be plugged into the place that used to be the seabed and possibly a certain ceremony. Due to the lack of oxygen in the clay, the wooden handle of the ax remains intact. According to archaeologists, the Neolithic people in southern Lolland used this coastal area as a sacrifice.

"It is a miracle to find an ax with a handle as well as to preserve it intact , " said Soren Anker Sorensen, an expert at the Lolland-Falster Museum.

In the excavation area, the team also found many wooden objects with good storage. Collected objects include erect wooden poles, paddles, bows and axes.

The ax is an important tool for people living in the Stone Age, used to chop or cut wood. They also play an important role in forming European farming practices, when most of the land is covered by dense forests.