Casgliadau Arlein

Socketed Axe blade fragment (Find No.14)

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 blade fragment of a small copper-alloy socketed axe. The blade is strongly flared, with recurving of one of the blade tips, suggesting asymmetrical wear resulting from use in antiquity. There are no visible casting flaws. Numerous fine striations are visible across the blade surfaces, orientated parallel to the cutting edge. The break edges are soil covered and well eroded, suggesting that the axe was broken in antiquity.

The axe fragment has a dark brown patina. Light green sub-surface are visible across the damaged sections of the cutting edge.