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Description: | Complete, cast copper alloy Late Bronze Age socketed axe of South Eastern class A. This is a really outstanding example of its type in near perfect condition. The axe is wedge-shaped in profile and subrectangular in plan. The mouth of the axe is sub-circular and has an external width of 35.5 mm and is 38.6 mm high. The axe has a double mouth moulding. The body of the axe is rectangular with straight sides that expand into the lower blade and cutting edge. Casting seams are clearly visible on both sides of the axe, and on the loop. The loop is semi-circular with an oval perforation. It extends from the lower moulding for 21.5 mm and is 9.5 mm wide.
The internal dimensions of the socket mouth are 27.2 mm wide by 34.4 mm high. The socket is 76.5mm deep with no casting seams visible upon the internal surface. There is a small circular eruption of corrosion products (inactive) upon the side wall of the socket.
The cutting edge is sharp and has faint traces of resharpening visible. It has a small dent at the upper tip that is fully patinated and so probably occured in antiquity. All of the original surface of the axe survives, with just one small circular eruption of corrosion products (inactive) on the side of the body and the scars of similar corrosion near the tip on the same side. There are a few bright scuffs and one scratch across one side of the axe, almost certainly caused by farm machinery. The olive green patination is thin and even which may denote burial within the protection of a container. The axe is 104.37 mm long, 27.5 mm wide at the mid-point of the body, and 45.4 mm wide from tip to tip across the cutting edge. It weighs 202g.
This axehead was found in the topsoil in close association with another South Eastern class A socketed axehead (ESS-BABB61) a fragment of bronze plate ingot (ESS-BABFD1)and two body sherds of contemporary flint tempered ware (ESS-BAC322). The presence of sherds of contemporary pottery in close association may suggest that this small hoard of metal work was concealed within in a pottery container. | Format: | text/html | License: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ | Publisher: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Rights holder: | The Portable Antiquities Scheme | Subjects: | archaeology | Temporal: | -1000
-800 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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