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The axe head was found near Castle Sween, North Knapdale. It was made during the Neolithic period and is some 5000 years old. With a wooden haft, the axe would have been used as a multipurpose tool, although this object also tells us that people living in the area some 5000 years ago were in contact with people living some distance away. The stone from which the axe head is made is of a type known as porcellenite, which is only found on the coast of Northern Ireland. Since the axe was found on the beach, it is possible that the finished product rather than raw material, was exported from Ireland, and it was lost before it could be used.