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Description: | A copper alloy Early Bronze Age flat axe probably dating from 1900 - 1700 BC. This fits into metalworking stage V-VI, which corresponds to Needham's (1996) Period 3-4. The axe is decorated with rain pattern and bands of incised herringbone pattern.The axe has a rounded butt which is about 30mm wide. The sides are straight for most of their length, then flare outwards to form a crescentic cutting edge with concave shoulders. The axe is thickest at the proto stop ridge (12.9mm thick) where the face of the butt and the face of the blade change in angle. This thickened area is decorated with a band of herringbone pattern incised across the axe. The band of decoration is 5.1mm wide and is divided into two rows of oblique lines, each row sloping in a different direction.The cuttin edge is damaged, chipped and corroded with pitting and concretion adhering. It is 99mm wide but the tips are missing. The breaks are patinated. The first visible decoation is 16mm from the cutting edge. It is a group of at least three lines which follow the line of the cutting edge. Inside them is a band 7mm wide which is decorated with widely spaced lines forming triangles. Only one and a half are visible. Behind this band is a 9mm wide panel of herringbone pattern. The area is divided into three zones with incised lines following the line of the cuttin edge. The spaces are filled with punched oblique lines.The sides of the face have a border of two engraved parallel lines, 2mm apart, following the line of the edge of the axe. This runs from the inside edge of the triple herringbone band, is unterrupted by the herringbone at the stop ridge, and contines to at least 50mm from the butt. Wherever the original surface survives on the butt and the blade, there is rain pattern; wide, shallow depressions, from 3 - 10mm long and about 0.5 - 0.7mm wide, orientated along the length of the axe.The other face of the axe appears to be decorated in the same way, but has less detail surviving. It is uncertain whether some transverse lines across the middle of the butt are decoration or later damage. More rain pattern is visible.The sides of the axe are thickened, but are not developed into flanges. They do not appear to be decorated, but little original surface survives and they are pitted.The axe is similar to Willerby metalwork illustrated on page 125 of Rohn and Needham (1998), especially number 58. Compare also CORN-C53643 and SF-9072A6. The axe is 205mm long, 99mm wide and 12.9mm thick. 604g. It has a smooth dark grey green patina surviving in places, but much of the axe is pitted and corroded and is a bright green to white colour, especially at the ends.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/ | Go to resource |
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AXE
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