File:27 edged weapons part of the Blackwater Hoard - 2015 T113 (FindID 716351).jpg

English: A Late Bronze Age metalworking hoard, dating 1,000-800 BC.

Axes

1.1. A Ewart Park socketed Socketed axe head Copper alloy Late Bronze Age socketed axe of Needham's (1990, 28) Class A (South-eastern) type A1Plain. The axe-head is formed of a rectangular double collared mouth, the upper collar being thickest, leading to a rectangular sectioned body which flares and tapers to the blade edge. There are casting seams on both sides, with the loop following the line of the seam on one side. The loop is connected to the lower collar of the mouth. The object has a dark green patination, with patches of brown across the outer surface.

Inside the axe-head are two fragments of copper alloy. One was a fragment of a socketed axe head of uncertain date. The other was a sub-rectangular strip of copper alloy with a rounded end, which appears to have been bent in half to fit into the socket. It is likely that this object is from the handle of a vessel, though it is difficult to know for certain in its condition. Fragments such as this are commonly observed inside socketed objects found in Late Bronze Age hoards and appear to be intentionally placed within them.

Dimensions: length: 104.04 mm; width: 38.99 mm; thickness: 26.78 mm; rim thickness: 5.75 mm; weight: 193.86g.

2.Socketed axe head

Copper alloy Late Bronze Age socketed axe of Needham's (1990, 32) Class B (Southern English ribbed), having five ribs on each side. The axe-head has a square double collared mouth, the upper collar being thickest, leading to a square sectioned body which tapers to the blade edge. There is a casting seam on both of the narrowest sides, with the loop following the line of the seam. The loop connects to the mouth at the lower collar, but is broken in the middle. The object has a mid-dark green patination.

Inside the axe-head is a fragment of copper alloy object. After conservation the object was revealed to be part of a socketed axe head of uncertain type. Fragments such as this are commonly observed inside socketed objects found in Late Bronze Age hoards and appear to be intentionally placed within them.

Dimensions: length: 79.60 mm; width: 33.34 mm; thickness: 25.36 mm; rim thickness: 5.67 mm; weight: 132.43g.

3.Socketed axe-head

Copper alloy Late Bronze Age socketed axe of Needham's (1990, 32) Class B, having three ribs on each side. The axe-head is formed of a square collared mouth, leading to a square sectioned body which tapers and flares slightly to the blade edge. There is a casting seam on both sides, with the loop following the line of the seam. The loop begins just below the mouth. The object has a dark brown patination with patches of light green corrosion, predominantly on the most damaged side.

There is a socketed object within this axe-head. Post-conservation it was determined that this object is a gouge, similar to object no. 27 in this hoard, dating 1100-800BC. The object has been damaged in several places, with a sub-rectangular section of the body missing on one side, with a crack running towards the edge of the body. The blade edge is also damaged.

Dimensions: length: 93.39 mm; width: 42.90 mm; thickness: 30.37 mm; rim thickness: 6.75 mm; weight: 244g.

4.Socketed axe-head

Copper alloy Late Bronze Age socketed axe of Needham's (1990, 28) (South-Eastern) Class A, type A1, plain, socketed axe-head. The axe-head is formed of a square double collared mouth, the upper collar being thickest, leading to a rectangular sectioned body which flares and tapers to the blade edge. There are casting seams on both sides, with the loop following the line of the seam on one side. The loop is connected to the lower collar of the mouth. The object has a dark brown patination with patches of mid-light brown and light green along the line of the break.

Inside the axe-head is a fragment of copper alloy. After conservation the object was revealed to be part of a socketed axe head of uncertain type. Fragments such as this are commonly observed inside socketed objects found in Late Bronze Age hoards and appear to be intentionally placed within them.

Dimensions: length: 106.49 mm; width: 48.42 mm; thickness: 31.50 mm; rim thickness: 6.39 mm; weight: 306g.

5.Socketed axe-head

Copper alloy Late Bronze Age socketed axe of Needham's (1990, 28) Class A, Type A2pellet decorated axe-head , with a decorative pellet half-way down the body on one side. The axe-head is formed of a square double collared mouth, the upper collar being thickest, leading to a rectangular sectioned body which flares and tapers to the blade edge. There are casting seams on both sides, with the loop following the line of the seam on one side. The loop is connected to the lower collar of the mouth. There is a large fragment of the mouth missing on one side. The object has a dark brown patination, with patches of light green.

Dimensions: length: 94.82 mm; width: 42.70 mm; thickness: 31.52 mm; rim thickness: 8.17 mm; weight: 227g.

6.Socketed axe-head

This socketed axe-head is formed of a rectangular double collared mouth, the upper collar being thickest, leading to a rectangular sectioned body. The object is broken at the blade end, with the blade edge missing. There is a casting seam visible on one side, with the loop following the line of the seam. The loop is not connected to the mouth, as is usually the case with Late Bronze Age axe-heads, but is found half-way down the body.

The axe has a Lappenmuster (wing ornament) decoration on both sides. There is a similar example from the Ewart Phase in Rohl and Needham (1998, no.320) as well as several in the British Museum (e.g. BM registration: 2005, 0607.1 from Ringlemere, Kent: Treasure case 2004 T146). However, the distance between the mouth and start of the loop is an unusual feature of this axe-head . The object has a dark brown patination, with patches of light green.

Dimensions: length: 72.37 mm; width: 35.63 mm; thickness: 20.80 mm; rim thickness: 4.64 mm; weight: 109.43g.

Mouth Fragments

7.Socketed axe-head fragment

This mouth and body fragment of a copper alloy socketed axe-head has been broken lengthways and is also broken half-way down the body. There is a casting seam visible down the edge of the axe, with the loop following the line of the seam. There are two collars at the mouth, the upper being thickest, with the loop connected to the lower collar. The fragment has a dark-mid green patination.

Dimensions: length: 60.71 mm; width: 24.73 mm; rim thickness: 4.29 mm; weight: 36.27g.

8.Socketed axe-head fragment

This mouth and body fragment of a copper alloy socketed axe-head has been broken lengthways and is also broken just below the loop. There is a casting seam visible down the edge of the axe, with the loop following the line of the seam. There are two collars at the mouth, the upper being thickest, with the loop connected to the lower collar. There is a trace of decoration on one side of the axe, possible in the Lappenmuster style (wing ornaments), though it is impossible to say without the rest of the object. The fragment has a light green patination.

Dimensions: length: 34.05 mm; width: 31.76 mm; rim thickness: 5.80 mm; weight: 27.26g.

9.Socketed axe-head frament

This mouth and body fragment of a copper alloy socketed axe-head has been broken lengthways and is also broken just below the loop. There is a casting seam visible down the edge of the axe, with the loop following the line of the seam. There are two collars at the mouth, the upper being thickest, with a significant gap between the two. The loop is connected to the lower collar and is still filled with soil. There appears to be a small casting flaw beneath the mouth on one side. The object has a dark-mid green patination.

Dimensions: length: 35.61 mm; width: 24.65 mm; rim thickness: 4.33 mm; weight: 29.11g.

10.Socketed axe-head frament

This mouth and body fragment of a copper alloy socketed axe-head has been broken lengthways and is also broken just below the loop. There is a casting seam visible down the edge of the axe, with the loop following the line of the seam. The loop is broken, with the middle section missing. There are two collars at the mouth, the upper being thickest, with the loop connected to the lower collar. The object has a light green patination.

Dimensions: length: 38.62 mm; width: 24.67 mm; rim thickness: 4.61 mm; weight: 20.64g.

11-20. Nine socketed axe blade fragments.

All are broken at various points above the blade edge, which are very worn on all examples. There is a green patination on all, ranging from light to dark.

Dimensions: average width: 43.48 mm; total weight: 846.07g.

Spearheads

21. An incomplete leaf bladed spearhead

Copper alloy leaf-shaped spearhead fragment, flaring outwards from the point. There is a central, hollow ridge running down the centre, which is where the haft of the spear would have been secured. The total diameter of this opening is uncertain as the object is broken half-way down the blade, with the rest of the object no longer present. The hollow section is filled with a dark-grey material of uncertain function. The object has a mid-light green patination.

This is probably an Ehrenberg (1977) class V spearhead. These spearheads are diagnostic by the fact they are hafted using rivets, though as this example is incomplete it is impossible to know for certain. The shape of the class V spearheads are very similar to this example. It has been argued that objects of this size are more likely to be arrowheads, however many small spearheads can be found in Rohl and Needham (1998, fig 36 K-L; fig 37 no. 391). This is likely to date from the Ewart Park phase (1000-800BC).

Dimensions: length: 43.87 mm; width: 22.27 mm; thickness: 10.19 mm; weight: 17.05g.

22. An incomplete leaf bladed spearhead

The object is leaf-shaped, flaring outwards from the point before curving back inwards. There is a central, hollow ridge running down the centre, which is where the haft of the spear would have been secured. The object has been broken at the tip and is incredibly worn around the rim of the socket. The object has a mid-light green patination.

This is probably an Ehrenberg (1977) class V spearhead. These spearheads are diagnostic by the fact they are hafted using rivets, though the wear on the socket of this example makes it difficult to tell. However, rounded notches on the socket break appear to be evidence of rivet holes. The shape of the class V spearheads are very similar to this example. It has been argued that objects of this size are more likely to be arrowheads, however many small spearheads can be found in Rohl and Needham (1998, fig 36 K-L; fig 37 no. 391). This is likely to date tothe Ewart Park phase (1000-800BC).

Dimensions: length: 48.34 mm; width: 21.70 mm; thickness: 15.28 mm; weight: 16.49g.

Sword fragments

23. Sword fragment

Hilt fragment of a Late Bronze Age (Ewart Park type: Colqhoun & Burgess 1988, 55ff) copper alloy sword. What remain are the ricasso, shoulder and part of the grip. The shoulder flares away from the grip and then tapers towards the blade at the ricasso end, forming a trapezoidal shape. The edge of the hilt is flanged to accommodate a wooden handle. There is a single rivet hole on either side, close to the point where the ricasso begins. Two ridges in the centre of the grip end, at the point of the break, appear to indicate where the central rivet hole or holes may have been on the grip. None of the rivets are present. The object has a dark-mid green patination.

Dimensions: length: 81.89 mm; width: 44.26 mm; thickness: 9.17 mm; weight: 85g.

24. Sword fragment

This fragment is the finial and part of the grip of copper alloy Late Bronze Age (Ewart Park type: Colqhoun & Burgess 1988, 55ff) sword. The sword has a T-shaped finial with a flanged edge to accommodate a wooden handle. Two rivet holes are visible before the break, but only one rivet remains. The object has a mid-green patination.

Dimensions: length: 65.53 mm; width: 38.46 mm; thickness: 11.72 mm; weight: 47.89g.

25. Sword fragment

This fragment of copper alloy Late Bronze Age (Ewart Park type: Colqhoun & Burgess 1988, 55ff) sword blade is elliptical in shape, with a central ridge tapering to the blade edge on either side. The style of the blade follows that of nos. 23-4 in this assemblage. It is highly likely that they are from the same object. The blade has a dark-mid green patination across the surface. There is significant damage to the edge but no clear indication of use marks.

Dimensions: length: 61.81 mm; width: 26.45 mm; thickness: 7.52 mm; weight: 44.29g.

26. Sword fragment

This fragment of copper alloy Late Bronze Age (Ewart park phase) sword is elliptical in shape, with a central ridge tapering to the blade edge on either side. The style of the blade follows that of nos. 23-4 in this assemblage. It is highly likely that they are from the same object. The blade has a dark-mid green patination across the surface. There is significant damage to the edge but no clear indication of use marks.

Dimensions: length: 65.16 mm; width: 22.15 mm; thickness: 8.84 mm; weight: 50.82g.

Gouge

27. A possibly miscast socketed copper alloy gouge (1100-800 BC). There is a large amount of corroded material on one side of the blade edge, possibly indicating that the object was miscast. As it was found in association with this hoard it is likely to date to the Late Bronze Age.

Dimensions: length: 51.27 mm; width: 18.64 mm; socket diameter: 18.51 mm; weight: 30.25g.

Axe Mould Fragment

28. A fragment of a copper alloy Ewart Park phase axe mould, dating 800-700BC. This object was identified as an axe mould by Peter Reavill (FLO for Herefordshire and Shropshire) and parallels have been found in a hoard from North Tuddenham (Norfolk, PAS number: NMS2464) and Arwarton (Suffolk, PAS number: SF2231).

Dimensions: length 36.41 mm; width: 27.33 mm; thickness: 12.10 mm; weight: 40.21g.

Possible Vessel fragments

29-30. Fragments of a possible copper alloy vessel. The metal is very thin and one example appears to be from the corner of the object. The thinness would suggest that it is not from an axe of the same period.

Dimensions of corner fragment: length: 17.16 mm; width: 22.57 mm; thickness: 2.38 mm; weight: 4.60g.

Dimensions of flat fragment: length: 14.97 mm; width: 28.64 mm; thickness: 3.15 mm; weight: 5.01g.

Casting jet

31. A piece of copper alloy casting jet with traces of six runners. Based on the shape of the object it is probably from the mouth of a mould. Similar examples of casting jet have been found in hoards such as (Treasure cases) 2010 T509 and 2011 T10, though none have yet been found with more than two runners.

Dimensions: length: 86.54 mm; width: 25.64 mm; thickness: 15.82 mm; weight: 125.11g.

Casting waste and ingots

32-79 A group of 42 fragments of either casting waste or ingots. All irregularly shaped lumps of copper alloy, worn or broken to varying degrees. All fragments have a patination ranging from light-dark green.

Dimensions: total weight: 3622g.

Ingot

80. Half of a Plano-Convex ingot dating to the Late Bronze Age. The remaining half appears to indicate there was a central perforation when complete, though this may be due to wear. The object is very worn and has a light-mid green patina.

Dimensions: Diameter: 64.29 mm; thickness: 6.68 mm; weight: 57.33g.

Bag of fragments

81 A group of assorted copper alloy and quartzite fragments. These are individually undiagnostic but found in association with this hoard, dating the fragments to the Late Bronze Age.

Total weight: 7.24g.

Discussion

This hoard was found on two separate occasions, though due to the proximity of the findspots they are likely to be from the same hoard. Several of the objects in this hoard date to the Late Bronze Age, in particular to the Ewart Park phase (1000-800 BC). Thus the entire assemblage can be assumed to be of the same date.

Of particular significance is the Axe mould fragment, which is a very rare type of object within hoards from this date, with few parallels across the country. The majority of hoards containing mould fragments tend to have an East Anglian distribution, with this hoard fitting into that distribution. The assemblage as a whole appears to be a metalworking hoard, due to the high quantities of metalworking debris, a plano-convex ingot and mould fragment.

Conclusion

As a find of more than two objects of prehistoric base metal, this find qualifies as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act (1996), Designation Order 2002.

References:

Colquhoun, I. & Burgess, C.B. 1988. The Swords of Britain (Prähistorische Bronzefunde IV.5). Munich: Beck.

Ehrenberg, M. 1997. Bronze age spearheads from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire. Oxford : British Archaeological Reports

Needham, S. 1990. The Petters Late Bronze Age Metalwork. An analytical study of Thames Valley metalworking in its settlement context. London: British Museum, Occasional Paper No. 70

Report by:

Ben Paites

Finds Liaison Assistant, Essex

27.03.2015

Edited by:

Neil Wilkin.

Curator, The British Museum

10.04.2015 & 15.04.2015