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Description: | Bronze object of uncertain function and date, probably a simple tanged chisel of Middle Bronze Age date, c.1,500 ? 1,000BC
The chisel is comparatively small, with a distorted length of 50.83mm (c. 54mm undistorted). The artefact is thickest at its middle (at 3.18mm) and thins to the blade and tang end. The sides are divergent and straight along the tang and gently curved along the blade. The blade edge has a width of 16.84mm and is also gently curved. Little of the original surface survives, which appears to have had a black patination. The current surface is mid-green to brown. The chisel weighs 6.2g.
Non-destructive analysis to ascertain the elemental composition of the chisel was carried out by Mary Davis using a CamScan MaXim 2040 analytical scanning electron microscope (SEM), plus an Oxford Instruments Link Isis energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). The object was examined whole within the specimen chamber and analysed for 100 live seconds using a working distance of 35mm and an accelerating voltage of 20kV. A scrape along one edge of the object allowed analysis of the metal in this area.
Unfortunately the electron beam was too unsteady to obtain reliable semi-quantitative results, but a series of readings showed that the object was of tin bronze; neither zinc nor lead were present in detectable quantities. The suggested composition would be broadly consistent with Middle Bronze Age metal composition, perhaps Taunton or Cammaes metalworking. | 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: | 1500
1000 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Mark Lodwick | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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