Casgliadau Arlein

One of a Hoard of twenty one bronze tools, weapons and ingot fragments dating to the Ewart Park phase of the Late Bronze Age (1000-800 BC)

This is a Plain socketed axe of Portree Type, bronze – it is complete but damaged

A small and complete plain socketed axe of bronze of broad and baggy form, with a large and expanded split down one mouth face and upper face, probably created during use in antiquity. The axe has moderately concave sides, curving outwards to a well expanded blade with recurved edges and a curved blade edge profile. The body is sub-rectangular in cross-section with curved face-edges, with a sub-rectangular shaped mouth in plan-view. The axe has a deep and slightly flared onset collar with a pronounced rim. The side-loop is short and of moderate to broad width, emerging from below the base of the deep collar. The casting seams are visible down both sides as very slightly raised blunt ridges. Highly corroded surfaces.

The hoard contains 13 axe heads, 1 palstave, 3 spearheads, 1 sword and 2 fragments from copper and leaded bronze ingots of Late Bronze Age (1150-800BC) dates. 1 additional post-medieval copper alloy object was found nearby but was probably mixed in by chance. The hoard was discovered on the south-eastward facing slope of a shallow valley with a view of the Bristol Channel. There was no obvious watercourse flowing nearby.