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Description: | An incomplete cast copper alloy socketed gouge of Late Bronze Age date (c. 1150 BC - c. 800 BC). Length: 76.2mm; width: 17.0mm and 13,4mm thick. Weight: 38.51g.The gouge is sub-rectangular in plan. It originally had a circular mouth with a diameter of 17.0mm. However, although the diameter can be measured accurately, the mouth is now damaged and incomplete. This damage may be old. From the plain mouth, the body of the gouge tapers slightly from the mouth towards the cutting edge to a minimum width of 13.2mm. It then flares so that the width of the cutting edge is 14.4mm. The blade is 'C'- shaped in cross-section and this depressed formation starts 24.0mm from the mouth, deepening as it extends towards the cutting edge which is evenly curved. The depth of the socket is 51.1mm. There is no damage along the cutting edge and it appears to have been quite sharp, prior to having been rolled and abraded. There are no signs of any casting or fettling marks.The majority of the outer face is a shiny 'brassy' colour, although the depression is coated in light green copper alloy corrosion products. The inner face has a patch of mid to dark green patina as well as lighter green copper alloy corrosion products.This implement, an inter-tidal find, was located at the base of cliffs in shingle, and this probably accounts for its present condition. A similar gouge, part of a hoard of Late Bronze Age implements, was discovered at the foot of cliff slopes in 2002. The site of that hoard was about 700m from this single find. See Portable Antiquities Scheme find: NARC2815.Similar examples are found in Watson (Watson, P. 1993 Catalogue of British and European Prehistoric Metalwork in Birmingham City Museums BAR British Series 233) illustrates two gouges, but one is decorated with ribbing (ref. 72), and the second (ref. 73), like this Isle of Wight example is undecorated. Another similar example is illustrated in Annable and Simpson (Annable, F. and Simpson D. 1964 'Guide Catalogue of the Neolithic and Bronze Age Collections in Devizes Museum'. Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society. 133, ref. 645. Gouges were used as wood-working tools. Dr. Adam Gwilt (National Museum and Galleries of Wales) commented on the gouge; 'Plain forms are the most common from the Late Bronze Age. Where dated by association, they usually belong to the Ewart Park phase (950-800BC). Examples with mouth mouldings tend to be earlier and belonging to the Wilburton / Blackmoor phases (1150-920BC)'According to Pearce in the 1983 publication 'The Bronze Age Metalwork of South Western Britain Part I', page 43, socketed gouges 'appear to have begun in the Wilburton phase, and continued as part of the tool repertoire until the end of the Bronze Age', although she suggests that most socketed gouges can be dated to the Ewart phase between c. 1000 - c. 800 BC.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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