File:KENT-FE8716 (FindID 570341).jpg

1. Copper alloy butt and lower blade fragment of a dirk or rapier that fits with fragments Nos. 2, 3 & 4. The blade has a lenticular cross-section and clear central ridge that slightly expands towards the butt. The edges of the blade are chipped and eroded. The broken end is intentionally bent in one direction. It is not possible to assess the age of the break as it is obscured by a white substance, possibly modern adhesive. The surfaces of the fragment have patches of corrosion but the original patina of the blade is still visible across a considerable area.

• Length: 81.38mm; Maximum Width: 19.33mm; Thickness: 3.47mm; Weight: 21.3g

1. Copper alloy blade fragment of a dirk or that fits with fragments Nos. 1 & 3. Lenticular cross-section. The edges of the blade are chipped and eroded. Both ends of the fragment are curved in the same direct as fragment No. 1, seemingly a result of the intentional breaking of the blade. It is not possible to assess the age of the breaks as they are both obscured by a white substance, possibly a modern adhesive. The surfaces of the fragment have patches of corrosion but the original patina of the blade is still visible across a considerable area.

• Length: 23.31mm; Maximum Width: 16.09mm; Thickness: 3.48mm; Weight: 6.5g

1. Copper alloy blade fragments that fits with fragment Nos. 2 & 4. The edges of the blade are chipped and eroded. Both ends of the fragment are curved in the same direct as fragment No. 1 & 2, seemingly a result of the intentional breaking of the blade. It is not possible to assess the age of the breaks as they are both obscured by a white substance, possibly a modern adhesive. The surfaces of the fragment have patches of corrosion but the original patina of the blade is still visible across a considerable area.

• Length: 47.80mm; Maximum Width: 14.39mm; Thickness: 3.27mm; Weight: 9.2g

1. Copper alloy tip fragment that fits with fragment No. 3. The broken end is curved in the same direction as Nos. 1-3. It is not possible to assess the age of the breaks as they are both obscured by a white substance, possibly modern adhesive. Corroded surface with only small patches of the original patina visible.

• Length: 23.08mm; Maximum Width: 10.64mm; Thickness: 2.77mm; Weight: 1.9g

Discussion

The four fragments come from a single, small, two-edged bladed weapon known as a dirk or rapier of Middle Bronze Age (c.1500-1100 cal BC) date. It is closest in form to Burgess & Gerloff (1981) Group IV (particularly those listed as 'damaged weapons with reworked butts' (ibid., 99-103), although little evidence of this was observed in the case of the Adisham example), and has some parallels in their corpus (e.g. ibid., No. 902-9). Because the breaks are obscured by a white substance (possibly modern adhesive), it is not possible to be certain that the breakage is ancient, however it is deliberate and does fit with evidence for intentional destruction of similar objects during this period (e.g. ibid., nos. 606, 610, 658, 964). It therefore is likely to have been broken into four separate pieces in prehistory, prior to deposition.

Conclusion

As the blade had been broken into four parts prior to deposition, it represents a find of more than one piece of base metal of prehistoric date. It therefore qualifies as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act (1996), Designation Order (2002).

Bibliography

Burgess, C., and Gerloff, S. 1981. The Dirks and Rapiers of Great Britain and Ireland. Munchen: C. H. Beck'sche Verlagsbuchandlung

Author

Neil Wilkin, Curator of the European Bronze Age collection,

The British Museum

25^th June 2014