The axeman cometh 450,000 years ago

[Still Waters]

WHEN Alan Price found himself with an hour to spare he decided to walk along the beach looking for the semi-precious stones which are often washed ashore.

Instead, he stumbled upon an ancient axe which could be up to 450,000 years old and may change our understanding of Scottish history.

The 14cm-long flint axe discovered on the shore at St Ola in Orkney was described as "incredibly exciting" by Caroline Wickham-Jones, a lecturer in archaeology for the University of Aberdeen.

She believes the flint axe dates from the Palaeolithic period, or Old Stone Age, of prehistory and could be anything between 100,000 and 450,000 years old.

Palaeolithic axes are incredibly rare, with fewer than ten being found in Scotland.

Mr Price, 62, a full-time carer with a keen interest in archaeology, recognised his find as an axe head but was astonished to learn how old it was.

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