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Description: | An incomplete cast copper alloy dirk (in three pieces), dating to the Middle Bronze Age, between 1500 ? 1150 BC (approximate length: 161mm; width at shoulder: 37mm; thickness at mid blade: 5.5mm; overall weight: 75.2g). The first part of the artefact is the incomplete butt and shoulder (length: 62.5mm; width: see above; thickness of shoulder: 5mm; weight: 40.6g). The butt has a flat-sectioned rounded top with the remains of two incomplete rivet holes in opposing corners to the left and right, with an approximate diameter of 8mm (both rivets are missing). The butt is also broken (an old break) and incomplete below the rivet holes, but the sides of the shoulder below curve inwards to form the start of a tapering blade. This first part of the artefact, however, is broken (an old break) approximately 27mm below where the shoulder of the dirk begins to taper inwards. The second part of the dirk (length: 61mm; width: 16.5mm; thickness at mid blade: see above; weight: 23.7g) immediately and precisely follows on from the break to the butt and shoulders with a fragment of the convex-sectioned mid blade, which still tapers inwards. The blade edge to either side is worn and incomplete. The third and final part of the artefact (length: 43mm; width: 12.5mm; thickness: 5.5mm; weight: 10.9g) continues approximately from where the mid blade fragment of the preceding part broke. This third piece is also a fragment of the convex-sectioned blade, which is just slightly tapering, possibly indicating that this bottom fragment was broken or corroded just above the tip. Down the central length of the top two sections, the dirk has a flat mid rib, which commences at the shoulder of the artefact and continues to follow the length of the blade approximately 4mm from the blade edge, which tapers downwards from this point. Overall, the dirk is in a worn but fair condition with many areas of the original brown patina remaining, although there are also areas of corrosion, on one side of the artefact in particular. A similar dirk is illustrated in Savory, H, N, 1980, ?Guide Catalogue of the Bronze Age Collections? in the National Museum of Wales, pages 113 & 176, fig 28, ref no 244, found at Newchurch, North Wales. Another example is illustrated in Watson, P, J, 1993, ?Catalogue of British and European Prehistoric Metalwork in Birmingham City Museums?, page 10, ref no 83, found in Kent at the Isle of Thanet. | 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
-1150 | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://www.finds.org.uk/database/artefac... | Language: | en-GB | Format: | text/html | Go to resource |
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