In Southern Denmark, the construction of the Femern Belt link, was under way. The Femern Belt link is a tunnel that will connect the island of Fehmarn, Germany, with the Danish island of Lolland. One day, at the construction site, some workers bumped into something different while digging the ground. It seemed like some tool that was jammed  upright into the ground. When archaeologists inspected it, it turned out to be a Stone Age axe! The axe was hafted which means that the axe was found with its wooden handle intact.

This discovery is rare because most of the times, stone age tools are found only in parts. The axe is estimated to be 5,500 years old. Why did the wooden handle not rot buried under the ground for thousands of years? The absence of oxygen in the ground preserved the artefact. Stone age people were hunter-gatherers who used stone tools to hunt and gather food. Later on, as they learnt to farm,  most of their farming tools were also made of stones like flint and chert.

Many more upright bows, axe shafts and a paddle, were found in the ground. Archaeologists think that stone age people might have used this coastal site as an area where they performed their rituals. Now, scientists are waiting for some more clues that can give them an insight into how stone age people performed their rituals. How fascinating!