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Description: | Copper alloy, possibly with organic material adheringSword. Cast Ewart Park type leaf-shaped sword with lozenge section blade, marked mid blade expansion, waist and diamond or lozenge shaped ricasso at the shoulder. A rectangular section grip bears a mid rib which is perceptible for a short distance along the upper blade. The edge of a single rivet hole appears centrally on the grip. The pointed end of the tip of the blade is lost, probably a fresh break due to plough strike, while the grip is broken circa one third of the way along its length, possibly an old break, as the patina on the break resembles that on the blade. The lower mid blade and tip are bent at circa 30 degrees, possibly due to the impact which has broken the point. Very small cracks were observed at the site of this bend. Discolouration on the upper surface (as found), and two patches of laminated material on the underside, may both relate to a scabbard or wrapping. Suggested date: Late Bronze Age, 1000-800 BC.Length: 522mm, Width: 41.8mm, Thickness (at grip, clear of organic material): 9.7mm, Weight: in excess of 500gms.This is part of a group whose deposition is interpreted as follows: the sword was 'killed' by breaking its hilt. Then a belt with a metal ring at either end was laid down in an active spring. The sword, possibly in a scabbard, was laid down flat over the belt and between the metal rings, its weight helping to keep the belt in place. Sandy soil accumulated over both rings, and around the sword, showing that the spring remained active or intermittently active after the deposit. The ploughing which brought sand and flints into the topsoil eventually reached, and clipped, bent, and lifted, the tip of the sword blade, and was probably the first disturbance it had suffered since its deposition.
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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