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Description: | This find is of a particularly good example of a late Bronze Age socketed axe in the tradition of the Llyn Fawr phase (800 - 600BC). The axe has a long, elegant form, with a single mouth moulding, now partly missing, and a well defined loop (external width - 20.69mm, internal - 6.18mm), formed just below the lip. There are no design mouldings to the faces of the axe but they are slightly convex in form. The mouth is near circular and the internal moulding replicates the exterior form, excluding the blade tips, to a depth of 85mm, with no mould lines. The sides of the axe have clear moulding seams that have been in part, hammer finished with the exception of the seam on the loop. The loop also has what might be a casting flash to its lower edge. The blade is slightly flanged with a cutting edge, measured from the intact half of 56mm and a width of 47mm. The flange would appear to be accomplished in the mould with no signs of further hammering to extend the tips. One tip is now missing and the cutting edge is largely corroded away. There is perhaps evidence of sharpening, as the blade tip has many fine transverse scratch marks across the width of the cutting edge. That the blade has been used is confirmed by a great many longitudinal/part diagonal scratches and gouges covering most of the blade surfaces. On one face, there is a large gouge near centre of the face and starting just under half way up and running to the mouth moulding. That gouge would appear to be consistent with use as it starts fine and narrow and expands in width and depth as it travels up the face. It is possible that it was responsible for the eventual damage to the mouth moulding. The surface shows sporadic outburst of corrosion but for the greater part, it has a fine polished dark brown patina.
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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