Casgliadau Arlein

Fragment of the tang and blade of a slender iron sword. the tang appears to be of square cross section adn has mineralised wood surrounding it and preserving the shape of a campanulate hilt (not surviving). There are futher fragments of wood preserved along the blade, which has a flat cross section, possibly part of a scabbard. The majority of the blade and its tip are missing but the parallel edges suggest this to be a sword rather than a dagger. Several swords recovered from Llyn Cerrig Bach are of comparable dimensions and have blades with a flat cross section, one also has a campanulate hilt surviving. These are though to date between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD (Fox 1946; Savory 1976).