Typological Study of Stone Axes from the Forest Zone Sites of Cross River State

Polished stone axes are among the most widely distributed and chronologically sensitive artefacts associated with Neolithic agricultural expansion across West Africa's forest and forest-margin zones, yet their typological study in Cross River State has received limited systematic attention in recent decades. This study undertakes a typological analysis of stone axe specimens from museum collections and documented surface find-spots in Cross River State, classifying pieces by morphological category, raw material, surface finish, edge profile, and size range. Sixty-one specimens drawn from the Cross River State Museum in Calabar and the National Museum in Jos were examined, alongside field-collected pieces from four forested localities near Obudu and Obanliku. The typological scheme identifies five major axe forms, including trapezoidal waisted axes, rectangular full-polished axes, lenticular cross-section axes, and two forms of partial-polished transitional types, consistent with a developmental sequence from expedient to highly curated tool production. Raw material composition is dominated by fine-grained igneous rocks, particularly hornblende basalt and dolerite, sourced from geological outcrops in the Obudu Plateau area. The study situates Cross River State axes within a broader West African polished stone axe tradition documented from Cameroon, Gabon, and Ghana, identifying morphological parallels that suggest shared Neolithic transmission pathways. Future thermoluminescence or OSL dating of associated sediments is recommended to establish an absolute chronology. Keywords: stone axes, Neolithic, Cross River State, typology, forest zone archaeology.