File:Treasure case 2011 T429 Bronze Age hoard from Nottinghamshire object 9 (FindID 464310).jpg

English: A Late Bronze Age hoard consisting of eighteen objects including: 5 copper alloy blade fragments from two leaf-shaped swords; 4 socketed axes; 1 socketed leaf-shaped spearhead; 1 blade fragment from a leaf-shaped spearhead; 1 tanged chisel; 1 clasp or belt fitting and 4 copper alloy ingot fragments.

Description:

1. Copper alloy tip blade fragment from a leaf-shaped sword. Flattened rounded-midsection with bevelled edges, most likely of Ewart Park type (Colquhoun and Burgess 1988: 55-68). This fragment refits with nos. 2-4.

Length: 96mm, Maximum Width: 37.76mm, Maximum Thickness: 5.07mm, Weight: 64.5g

2. Copper alloy lower body blade fragment from a leaf-shaped sword. Flattened rounded-midsection with bevelled edges, most likely of Ewart Park type (Colquhoun and Burgess 1988: 55-68). This fragment refits with nos. 1, 3 and 4.

Length: 112mm, Maximum Width: 39.41mm, Maximum Thickness: 5.34mm, Weight: 115.3g

3. Copper alloy upper body blade fragment from a leaf-shaped sword. Flattened rounded-midsection with bevelled edges, most likely of Ewart Park type (Colquhoun and Burgess 1988: 55-68). This fragment refits with nos. 1,2 and 4.

Length: 95mm, Maximum Width: 36.14mm, Maximum Thickness: 5.83mm, Weight: 104.0g

4. Copper alloy upper body blade fragment from a leaf-shaped sword. Flattened rounded-midsection with bevelled edges, most likely of Ewart Park type (Colquhoun and Burgess 1988: 55-68). This fragment refits with nos. 1-3.

Length: 107mm, Maximum Width: 33.6mm, Maximum Thickness: 6.21mm, Weight: 112.0g

5. Copper alloy modified blade fragment from a leaf-shaped sword. The bevelled edges have been hammered so as to form a right angle with the face of the blade, running most of the length of the fragment, so as to produce a concave edge. The edges have both been hammed upwards in the same direction. One end of the blade fragment retains its original width, where its Flattened rounded-midsection reveal it most likely be of a Ewart Park sword. The opposite end has been hammered into a rudimentary blade edge, with the adjacent blade face also having been flattened somewhat.

Length: 96mm, Maximum Width: 29.96mm, Maximum Thickness: 5.55mm, Weight: 51.5g

6. Copper alloy complete looped socketed axe of plain Type South-eastern (Schmidt and Burgess 1981: 212-217, pl. 84-86, nos. 1267-1294). This axes falls into Schmidt and Burgess's undifferentiated group of South-eastern axes (1981: 215-216, nos. 1281-1294), being part of an as-yet undifferentiated variant, rather than of the northern forms that have already been identified. The axe has a slim body with an unexpanded cutting edge not much wider than the width of the mouth, which has a square collar and a single moulding set below it. The sides, which are slightly concave, expand gently outwards to form the cutting edge. There are no ribs on the inside of the socket.

Length: 93mm, Blade width: 45mm, Body width (top of loop): 25mm, Maximum Thickness:32.05mm, Weight: 155.4g

7. Copper alloy complete looped socketed axe of Type Meldreth (Schmidt and Burgess 1981: 204-211, pl. 82-84, nos. 1212-1230). This axe has a slim faceted body, with eight facets. The collar emerges stepped from the body of the axe, is of the low form and expands outward only slightly, and the mouth is round in section. The sides expand only slightly, and are subtly concave. The blade expands into extended J tips at the cutting edge.

Length: 97mm, Blade width: 46mm, Body width (top of loop): 24mm, Maximum Thickness: 40.32mm Weight: 209.0g

8. Copper alloy complete looped socketed axe of Type Welby (Schmidt and Burgess 1981: 221-223, nos. 1335-1354B). This has a long slim body with straight sides that tapers slightly outwards only slightly at about two-thirds down the body to form an expanded cutting edge. On the face are three short ribs that emerge from a horizontal moulding level with where the upper part of the loop begins. This axe is unusual in having a second horizontal moulding, just above and closest to, the one from which the ribs emerge. A similar axe is known from the hoard at Sproatley, East Riding of Yorkshire (Schmidt and Burgess 1981: no. 1340). The collar is slightly rounded.

Length: 109mm, Blade width: 51mm, Body width (top of loop): 31mm, Maximum Thickness: 41.77mm, Weight: 296.0g

9. Copper alloy complete looped socketed axe of Type Welby (Schmidt and Burgess 1981: 221-223, nos. 1335-1354B). This small axe differs from that of No. 8 in having slightly concave sides that taper gently outwards to the cutting edge immediately from the neck. The face is decorated with four ribs that emerge from a horizontal moulding, below a collar that expands noticeably outwards. These ribs are unusual in extending just over half way down the length of the body, with the two centre ribs being slightly shorter than the two outer ribs. Whilst the outline of the axe is mirrored by a number of other axes of Type Welby (e.g. Schmidt and Burgess 1981: no. 1339, 1340, 1342), the configuration of the ribs is not, which normally number only three. Axes of this type with more than three ribs are known (e.g. Schmidt and Burgess 1981: nos. 1350. 1351. 1355) but not to this pattern. A similar axe is known from the hoard at Winteringham, Humberside (Maraszek 2006: tf. VIII, no. 2). Jammed inside the socket is a small rectangular piece of bronze.

Length: 82mm, Blade width: 43mm, Body width (top of loop): 26mm, Maximum Thickness: 34.08mm, Weight: 153.6g

10. Copper alloy complete pegged socketed leaf-shaped spearhead. This ogival bladed spearhead has a lanceolate outline, wherein the curve of the blade is widest below the midpoint of its length (Burgess, Coombs and Davies 1972: 214-214). Plain leaf-shaped spearheads such as these appeared during the Penard and subsequent phases of the British Bronze Age (c. 1300-1075 BC) before being replaced by the tradition of more ornate hollow bladed spearheads of the Wilburton phase (c. 1075-950 BC), only to become common again during the Ewart Park phase, though often smaller in size.

Length: 150mm, Maximum Width: 43.01mm, Diameter of the socket: 24.56mm, Thickness of the blade:3.97mm, Weight:120.8g

11.Copper alloy blade fragment from a leaf-shaped spearhead. This fragment is from an ogival bladed spearhead of the same type as no. 10.

Length: 820mm, Maximum Width: 23.29mm, Maximum thickness: 5.94, Weight: 33.9g

12. Copper alloy tanged chisel. These tools are commonly referred to as tanged chisels (e.g. Evans 1881: 167-169, figs. 193-195; Burgess, Coombs and Davies 1972: 217-218). However, O'Connor (1980: 137-138, 175, list. 131, map. 51), following Roth (1974: 40), has suggested that they were more likely to have been leather working tools. Below a stepped collar, a long narrow flat blade with slightly convex sides tapers gently outward to form a flat expanded blade with rounded cutting edge. The tang is short with a squared section.

Length: 107mm, Maximum Width: 27.88mm, Maximum Thickness: 12.27mm, Weight: 43.4g

13.Copper alloy clasp or belt fitting. Bronze ring crowned with square loop. This is the central ring of a two-part clasp or belt-fitting of Type Parc-y-Meirch (O'Connor 1980: 195, list. 167). It may be related to either horse harnessing or scabbard fitting.

Length (including loop): 39mm, Maximum Width: 32mm, Maximum Thickness: 15.04mm, Weight: 28.9g

14. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length:105.74mm, Maximum Width: 51.31mm, Maximum Thickness: 16.57mm,Weight: 242.8g

15. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length:38.14mm, Maximum Width: 27.10mm, Maximum Thickness: 19.86mm, Weight:96.1g

16. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length:97.53mm, Maximum Width: 57.41mm, Maximum Thickness: 16.1mm, Weight: 209.8g

17. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length: 95.64mm, Maximum Width: 72.45mm, Maximum Thickness: 17.17mm, Weight:378.8g

18. Copper alloy ingot fragment.

Length:108.23mm, Maximum Width: 81.01mm, Maximum Thickness: 24.30mm, Weight: 423.4g

Discussion

The objects in this hoard can be dated typologically to the Late Bronze Age(c. 950-800 BC).
Four of the sword fragments (nos. 1-4) refit so as to form the remains of a blade of subtle leaf shape with bevelled edge and rounded midrib. The refitted blade forms a flattened S shape, done so as to render it into fragments. This is not uncommon in hoards of the Ewart Park phase, nor for them to refit into a single sword. A similarly distorted and fragmented sword is known from another northern British hoard at Welby, Leicestershire (Smith 1957: no. 2), with which it also shares socketed axes of Type Welby (nos. 8. 9), a Type Parc-y-Meirch loop attachment (no. 13) and a pegged socketed leaf-shaped spearhead (no. 10). As the hilt is missing it is not possible to assign this sword more accurately but the sword from Welby was an early Ewart Park sword of Eastern Step 1 (Colquhoun and Burgess 1988: 80, pl. 58, no. 385 ). The remaining blade fragment (no. 5) has been modified. If the modification was done subsequent to breakage then the intent may been to produce some sort of chisel. However, it is also possible that the modification was done whilst still attached to the remainder of the blade, so as to produce a new hilt, possibly after the original cast hilt had been damaged. Such modifications are not uncommon in the Bronze Age. The socketed axes are all of forms found widely distributed across both southern and eastern England. They are most commonly found in axe hoards of the indigenous Ewart Park tradition (e.g. Maraszek 2006), often in considerable numbers, but also in smaller numbers amongst the mixed hoards of the Atlantic Carp's-Tongue complex (e.g. Turner 2010). The tanged chisel is unusual in that the blades of this type, with either straight or convex sides, are normally shorter and have a much more expanded trapezoidal blade. Also, the tang is usually as long or longer than the blade but our example here has a noticeably short tang. A similar shaped example is known from the hoard at hoard at Gorleston I, Great Yarmouth (Norwich Castle Museum 1977: 37-38, fig. 83). Small hoards of this type, with one or more swords and a small selection of socketed axes, are not uncommon in northern and eastern England during this phase (e.g. Coombs 1975: fig. 6). The hoard cannot be dated any more accurately within the traditional Ewart Park phase than c. 1000/950-800 BC. However, on the basis of the strong similarities to the hoard at Welby, and the variant of Ewart Park sword contained in that hoard, a date early in that range, if not even earlier (cf. Coombs 1988: 577) is most likely.

References

Burgess, C. Coombs, D. And Davies, D.G, 1972. The Broadward Complex and Barbed Spearheads. In Lynch, F., and Burgess, C. (eds) Prehistoric Man in Wales and the West, pp. 211-283. Bath: Adams and Dart.
City of Norwich museums, 1977. Bronze Age Metalwork in Norwich Castle Museum. Norfolk Museums Service.

Colquhoun I & Burgess C. (1988). The swords of Britain. Munich: Prahistorische Bronzefunde, Abt. IV. Munich: C.H. Beck.
Coombs, D. 1975. Bronze age weapon hoards in Britain. Archaeologica Atlantica 1, 49-81.
Evans, J. 1881. The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons and Ornaments of Great Britain and Ireland. London: Longmans, Green and Co.
Maraszek, R. 2006. Spätbronzezeitliche Hortfundlandschaften in atlantischer und nordischer Metalltradition. Halle (Saale): Landesamt ü fr Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen Anhalt, Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte.

O'Connor, B. 1980. Cross-Channel relations in the later Bronze Age. BAR International Series 91. Oxford: Archaeopress

Roth, H., 1974. Ein Ledermesser der Atlantischen Bronzezeit aus Mittel-franken. Archäologische Korrespondenzblatt 4, 37-47.
Schmidt, P. K, Burgess, C. B. 1981. The Axes of Scotland and Northern England. Prähistoriche Bronzefunde IX, 7. Munich: C.H. Beck.
Smith, M.A. 1957. Bronze Age Hoards and Grave-Groups from the NE Midlands. Inventaria Archaeologica 4th Set: GB. 19-24.London: Garraway.
Turner, L. 2010. A Re-Interpretation of the Later Bronze Age Metalwork Hoards of Essex and Kent. BAR British Series 507. Oxford: Archaeopress.

Authors

Steven Matthews (University of Groningen)

Mafalda Raposo (Volunteer)

Ben Roberts (Bronze Age Curator) 30.8.11