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Description: | Middle Bronze Age cast copper alloy palstave (axehead) with central mid-rib pattern and remains of one side loop. The palstave is highly corroded with has an old, irregular break at the butt and along all four flanges. The septum is 2.3mm thick at the butt, 5.8mm thick at maximum, 16.8mm wide before the stop and c.58mm long. There is a deep hole left by an air bubbles at the junction of the septum and stop on one side. The flanges are all broken and missing their outer edges so it is not clear what shape or how wide they were. They appear to end at the stop ridge which is now the thickest point, 28.2mm. There are distinct casting line on both sides although they show signs of finishing. There is a loop on one side only, it is incomplete with only c.25% remaining but appears to have been oval in section with an oval hole below it. I starts before the stop ridge and ends after it so the centre is level with the stop. It is 18.9mm wide externally. The blade is rectangular in section with curved sides that widen gradually towards the blade before curving out at the blade tips, now damaged to meet the convex curve of the blade edge. The blade thins evenly from the stop to the edge. There appears to be an edge bevel on the blade although this is obscured by corrosion. The tips are both damaged and the edge is now 47.8mm long. There is a slight central rib projecting down the blade from the stop it is very corroded but appears to end about half way down. The axe is 136.4mm long in total and weighs 284 grams.The side loop and central rib suggest it is of the Acton Park industry, c.1500-1400BC, of the central rib sub-type common in South Wales and South West England. It is similar to an example from Cemmes, Montgomeryshire, and one from Dolbenmaen, Caernavon (Savory (1980:171 and 179, figs 23, 31) no. 171 and 263/2).
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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