Lost in the Sirius?—Consideration of the provenance of the hatchet head recovered from the Sirius wreck site, Norfolk Island. In F.D. McCarthy, Commemorative Papers (Archaeology, Anthropology, Rock Art), ed. Jim Specht
Abstract
A ground stone hatchet head was found in the excavation of the Sirius which was wrecked off Norfolk Island in 1790. This paper explores the problems of establishing its ultimate origins, its cultural context and its historical significance. Historical, formal and petrological studies suggest a source for the raw material in the cobble beds of the Nepean River, New South Wales, and the inclusion of the hatchet head in a collection of curiosities of an officer on the Sirius.