Mace Head, Starrieheugh Farm, Terregles

A short ovoid shaped mace head with an off centre shaft hole. The mace head has a rounded butt and blade and has been highly polished. It was found when ploughing a field at Starrieheugh farm in 1932, and was acquired by Dumfries Museum in 1962.   Mace Heads  Mace heads were designed to give a crushing blow in battle. Most mace heads from this area have a rounded outline with a straight sided shaft hole for hafting. It is possible that the technique of boring shaft holes through stone was learned from the makers of battle axes. They are also often associated with burials.   Producing tools like these took time. After selecting an appropriate rock, a hammer was used to create the rough shape. The Bronze Age stone mason would have continued pecking at the rock, using smaller and finer tools as the work progressed. The shaft hole would have been made by drilling from both sides, perhaps with a section of antler or bone in a bow drill.   Many of these implements have a polished surface, which was achieved by rubbing on a wetted stone slab, perhaps using sand as an abrasive.