Casgliadau Arlein

Probable Group 11 Plain Pegged spearhead, blade and mid-rib fragment, undiagnostic to type (Find no. 8/1)

Part of a hoard of 39 bronze fragments representing a minimum of 38 artefacts discovered in a field following agricultural drainage work. All of the artefacts were reported as being discovered within an area of 2.4m (8 feet) of each other, of each other and at approximate depths of 20-30cm (8-12 inches).

The patination of the objects is consistent with them having been buried in a peaty peaty deposit, which has been known to result in a brown or black patina (Fontijn 2002,40). The hoard findspot was near small watercourse. A search of the Historic Environment Record (www.archwilio.org.uk) revealed no Bronze Age features of sites in the adjacent fields.

Detailed Description; This is a small blade and partial mid-rib fragment from the blade of a copper-alloy spearhead. The spearhead has a prominent and flattened mid-rib, the wall of which is relatively thick at 4.7mm. The surviving blade edge is slightly concave in plan-view, converging slightly from the lower break edge towards the upper break edge. The break edges are eroded and within the patinated surface, surggesting that the spearhead was broken during antiquity. It appears that this spearhead was in an as-cast condition when it was broken. The remains of casting flash can be seen running along the surviving blade edge, the edges of which are slightly damaged and have a light green powdery surface.

The spearhead has a brown patina.