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Description: | Small copper-alloy (probably bronze) palstave or 'ingot axe', with very low side flanges in a short septum (the septum is the area above the stop ridge and between the side flanges). The butt appears to be complete; although it is not at right angles to the sides, this is a common feature of palstaves. The palstave is extremely corroded; no original surfaces survive, apart from a small area at the angle between the septum and the stop ridge on either face, and the corroded surfaces are left extensively pocked. Some small circular voids on the blade are possible casting voids. Possible shield and rib style decoration survive below the stop ridge, more obviously on one face than on the other. The cutting edge appears blunt. This is an extremly unusual palstave, and it is not classifiable in Rowlands's (1976) scheme. The notable features are its small size (most palstaves are about 16 cm long), the relative lack of side flanges, and the short length of the septum. The protruding stop ridges are paralleled in palstaves of the Wilburton (O'Connor's (1980) LBA2) phase, which can occasionally also be short, though the form of this palstave is generally dissimilar. The closest parallels appear to be Stibbard type axes (named after a hoard found in the 19th century at Stibbard in Norfolk) although even these tend to have high flanges and are mainly slightly shorter (about 11 cm). Significantly, the Stibbard type axes are never finished and are likely to be 'ingot axes' rather than being functional (Pendleton 1999). It is unfortunate that this example is so corroded, although the cutting edge looks as if it was never sharpened. Probably late in the Middle Bronze Age (O'Connor's (1980) LBA1). | Subjects: | ingot axe | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Geake, Helen - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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