Casgliadau Arlein

South Wales Type socketed axe. A near complete axe with broken loop with concave, diverging sides, flaring towards the blade end. The axe has a prominent mouth moulding from which the narrow loop descends. Three converging ribs descend from the moulding on each face, extending down two thirds of the surviving blade. These are ill-defined, but continuous ribs, hinting that the mould pieces used to cast this axe were old. The axe is sub rectangular in section, though the upper face edges are sub-rounded. The casting seams down each side are prominent, having only received cursory hammering preparation, while the flash beneath the loop was never trimmed, suggesting the axe may never have been used before being buried. The heavy mouth is sub-oval in external plan, while the internal aperture is sub-rectangular. One runner stub and two runner scars are evident around the mouth, indicating a four-runner casting technology. Along the surviving blade facet on both sides, there are striations running parallel with the blade edge, suggesting some preparation of the blade took place. Across the mid to lower end of one face, a structural crack is evident, running parallel with mouth and blade edge and continuing as far as the mid-point casting seam. This appears to have been a failure in the casting process, relating to one half of the mould. A further crack descends from the mouth down the same face, but this may have been damage caused since burial. On the reverse side, there are two small surface pits, suggesting air bubbles trapped within the original casting. The original surfaces of the axe have a grey-green patina, while the blade edge, parts of the mouth, loop break and small areas of faces have powdery light-green eroded surfaces.