|
Date: |
|
Description: | Treasure Ref: 2006 T67Circumstances of discovery: Three socketed axes (nos. 18-20) were found at the base of the ploughsoil by the finder on 3rd February 2006 whilst using a metal detector, as part of a systematic survey. Between 4th-8th February 2006, Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service were invited to assist in the full excavation of the findspot and a further twenty metal objects were discovered in the area of a possible feature in the subsoil. On 4th February 2006, a trench c.0.65m square around the initial findspot was excavated down to the base of ploughsoil (about 0.30m below surface) and five objects were removed (nos. 2-6). At this point a feature outline suggestive of a small pit was apparent and a further group of three objects were exposed and recorded in the west side of the feature at a depth of 42cms (nos. 13-15). The extension of this trench revealed that the feature did not extend beyond the limits of the earlier trench although another socketed axe, no. 21, was discovered. Following excavation, it is uncertain as to whether the feature was a natural rather than a deliberately cut feature. Description 1. Bag of copper alloy flecks - not examined. 2. Socketed axe, blade end. Blade edge very worn and rounded, but only slightly expanded. Blade edge mostly intact, one tip missing. There are rounded dents in body, perhaps from a small. Some voids and other invasive corrosion. Slightly crushed at the break. Slight recent scratches on surface. L: 61mm; Blade. W: 37mm; W. at break: 31.7mm; Wt: (including soil inside socket) 112g.3. Socketed axe, South-Eastern Class A1. Incomplete, small axe. Double mouth moulding. Expanded cutting edge, one tip missing. Blade edge missing and edge and lower blade badly affected by invasive corrosion. Narrow band of horizontal scratches and striation marks close to the blade edge. Narrow loop. Trace of one and large part of the other casting sprue - (this isn't the right word - check) L: 75mm; Blade W: 37.5mm; Mouth W: 35.1mm; Mouth B: 30.45mm; B. loop: 5mm; Wt: (including soil) 140g.4(A). Socketed axe, fragment. South-Eastern Class A1. Mouth fragment, double mouth moulding. Some invasive corrosion on break. Prominent casting flash L: 23mm, W: 34mm, Wt: 15g.4(B). Sword, fragment. End of sword hilt with two rivet holes. Expanded terminal and slightly raised side-flanges. Bent at break. Some surface loss to invasive corrosion and much soil still adhering. L: 67.5mm; W: 18.7-37.3mm; Th: 4.1-5.25mm; Wt: 40g.5. Sword, fragment. Ewart Park type. Rounded midrib. Longitudinal abrasive sharpening grooves. Edge bevel present on one side on one surface only. Bent at one break. Severe notches on edges due to invasive corrosion, all blade edges missing.. L: 43m; W: 34mm; Th: 8mm, Wt: 28g.6. Ingot, edge fragment. Copper or copper alloy, plano-convex (coppered) ingot. Columnar fracture lines at break. Patches of invasive corrosion. Th: 21.5mm ( 50 x 50); Wt: 171g.7. Ingot, edge fragment. Copper or copper alloy, plano-convex. Th: 24.4mm Wt: 103g (40 x 34 )8. Ingot, edge fragment. Copper or copper alloy, plano-convex (coppered) ingot. Columnar fracture lines at break. Patches of invasive corrosion. Th: 24.7mm (46 x 41mm); Wt: 132g.9. Probaby a soil sample - not seen.10. Ingot, fragment. Probably plano-convex ingot, flat base. Th: 12mm (40 x 22mm); Wt: 42g.11. Ingot, fragment. Probably plano-convex. Th: 22mm; Wt: 57g (30 x 32mm)12. Ingot, fragment. Probably plano-convex. Th: 23.4mm Wt: 111g (44 x 36mm).13. Sword, Ewart Park type. Blade fragment. Upper blade end, tip missing. Rounded midrib. The blade edges are extremely damaged and there are almost no surviving sharp edges. Bent at breaks giving an S-shaped side view. Some rounded 'hammer' breakage marks. Some longitudinal sharpening marks close to blade edge. Edge bevels approximately 4.5mm from blade edge. No obvious invasive corrosion. ( Similar to 0005. ) L: 133mm; W: 37mm (max); Th: 6-7mm; Wt: 110g.14. Socketed axe, South Eastern Class A1 Double mouth moulding. Almost complete except for a largish fragment missing from the mouth. Slightly expanded blade. Partially crushed body on one face. Large loop. Blade has a small notch, possibly use damage. The general expansion from mouth mouldings suggests a possible late date. Invasive corrosion expanding from beneath surface. Use and sharpening scratches in a number of directions. L: 104mm; Blade W: 45mm; Mouth W: 40.9mm W. loop: 9.5mm; Wt (including soil): 256g.15. Socketed axe, Type Welby. Almost complete but for a largish fragment missing from the mouth on one face. Triple mouth moulding, loop attached to lower moulding. Triple rib decoration on body with two further ribs forming junction of faces and sides. Very expanded cutting edge, well-developed blade tip hollows. Blade edge mostly intact apart from chip on one face. Large hammer marks on one side beneath the loop. Use and sharpening striations in various directions. Largish pockets of invasive corrosion protruding from beneath surface on one face and side. Even, smooth green/brown patina. L: 95mm; W. blade: 50.3mm; W. mouth: 42.8mm B. mouth: 35.9mm B. loop: 8.1-9.8mm; Wt: 247g.16(A). Socketed axe, South-Eastern Class A1. Incomplete, mouth and upper body intact, containing socketed gouge (0016(B) below). Double mouth moulding. Some severe pocking resulting from invasive corrosion. L: 55mm; W. mouth: 39.5mm; B. mouth: 40.4mm; W. loop: 8.2mm; W. at break: 28mm; Wt: (including soil & 0016(B)): 166g.16(B). Socketed gouge, wedged into socket of socketed axe 0016(A) above. Visible end of socket (surrounded by clay at present) is incomplete, about 30% being missing. The furrow protrudes from the broken end of the socketed axe, edge of the furrow tip is chipped. L: 73.5mm, D: 19.3mm; W. Blade tip: 15mm.17. Socketed axe, blade end. Small axe. Slightly expanded cutting edge. Edge missing and lower blade severely affected by invasive corrosion. L: 44mm; Blade W.: 41.7mm; W. at break: 29mm; Wt (including soil): 71g.18. Socketed axe, South-Eastern Class A1. Incomplete. Blade end and part of mouth on one face. Part of lower mouth moulding on one face. Expanded cutting edge. The blade edge is mostly missing and with the large part of lower blade on one face has severe invasive corrosion causing loss of original surface. Recent ?plough graze on one face. L: 90mm; W. blade: 45mm; Wt (including soil): 160g.19. Socketed axe, incomplete. Blade end. Heavily expanded cutting edge, well-developed blade tip hollows. Blade edge completely missing. Surfaces pushed in at the break. Patches of marked surface loss to invasive corrosion including loss of blade edge. L: 54mm; Blade W: 43mm; W. at break: 25.5mm; Wt: (including soil): 77g.20. Socketed axe, fragment. Blade end. Expanded cutting edge, developed blade tip hollows. Blade edge lost to severe invasive corrosion. Straight break. Horizontal scratches from re-sharpening close to blade edge. L: 34mm; Blade W: 47mm; W. at break: 31mm; Wt: (including soil) 69g.21. Socketed axe, South-Eastern type. Complete. Triple mouth moulding. The top is quite flat and there are the vestiges of two casting jet stumps. Slightly expanded blade, one blade tip missing but blade edge otherwise intact. Some corrosion pocks. Slight edge bevel, approximately 1.5mm from edge. Striations, at right angles, limited to area of damaged edge. Patches of invasive corrosion breaking through the surface. L: 88mm; Blade W: 41mm; Mouth W: 35.7mm; Mouth W: 34.9mm; B. loop: 5.6-8.9mm; Wt (including soil): 227g.22(A). Socketed axe, South-Eastern Class D1. Complete. Trumpet moulding with flat top. Expanded cutting edge. Blade edge missing through corrosion. Internal ribs. Small lump of metal or probable ingot fragment wedged into socket - see (B). Some of the facet (and & mould lines) are raised ribs. Possibly 'linear facetted' axe making it potentially very late? Casting flashes removed from lower blade end. There are a variety of straight and curving edges, striations formed by bright scratches into the patina. Much of one face is lost to corrosion, (probably more recent, though incomplete on burial). L: 9.4mm, Blade W: 50mm; Mouth W: 34.6m Mouth B: 35.7mm; B. loop: 6.9mm; Wt: (including B below) 202g.22(B). Copper or copper alloy lump of metal, probably ingot fragment, jammed into socket of 0022(A). L: 20mm.23. Sword, blade fragment. Probably from near tip of blade, slight rounded mid-rib. Bent. Blade edges lost to corrosion. No obvious hammer marks but areas of surface lost to corrosion. L: 51mm; W: 24mm (max); Th: 5.7mm; Wt: 27g.24. Ingot fragment. Plano-convex. Th: 25mm; Wt: 69g ( Length 34mm, width 29mm)25. Small secondary flake with limited edge retouch/use wear. Parallel flake scars on dorsal face. Unpatinated. Dark brown flint with large area of cortex on dorsal face. Probably Bronze Age. Dimensions (millimetres/grams) L: length W: width B: breadth Th: thickness Wt: weight Discussion: This hoard consists of five complete or almost complete socketed axes, seven fragments of socketed axes, four sword fragments, one socketed gouge and eight ingot fragments. One axe is of Type Welby and the other socketed axes are South-Eastern Type axes, with five examples of Class A1 (Needham 1990, 28 fig. 2) and one Class D1 faceted axe (Needham 1990, 41 fig. 8). Of particular interest is the socketed axe (no. 16A) whose lower blade was intentionally removed and then a socketed gouge (no. 16B) was inserted into the socket, before inclusion within the hoard. A similar element of careful selection before deposition was recently noted in the hoard from Crundale, Kent in which three objects, a socketed axe, a socketed knife and a spearhead had objects placed within the sockets before being clamped to retain them. (DCMS 2003; Treasure case T374). The components of the Cornard hoard are all familiar from the Ewart Park phase of the Late Bronze Age datable to 1000 - 800 BC on the basis of associated radiocarbon dates. Although subsequent agricultural damage makes it difficult to be certain, it seems likely that the hoard was deposited in a small, possibly natural, hole. The irregular shape of the feature and the scattered locations of the deeper objects might be consistent with a tree bole. The higher objects have then been caught by the plough, with at least four pieces moved up to 10 metres away. Conclusion This hoard of artefacts, which date to the Ewart Park phase of the Late Bronze Age are eligible as Treasure under the new Treasure Order (2002) being a base metal prehistoric find containing two or more metal objects. | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
|
More Like this...
-
HOARD
Eleven bronze objects were discovered…
-
HOARD
1. Socketed axe fragmentIncomplete, socketed…
-
HOARD
Late Bronze Age hoard of…
-
Hoard
Treasure case: 2006 T131
Bronze…
-
HOARD
Treasure case: 2006 T131Bronze Age…
-
HOARD
Description1. Socketed axe, South-East class…
-
Hoard
Treasure case: 2006 T132 Bronze…
-
HOARD
Treasure case: 2006 T132 Bronze…
-
HOARD
1. Socketed axe fragment: South-EasternDouble…
-
HOARD
1. Socketed axe; South Eastern…
|