Casgliadau Arlein

This is a fragment of the upper blade, shoulder and hilt of a bronze leaf shaped sword of Ewart Park Type. It was found as part of a hoard alongside a socketed axe (2025.79H/2) and casting residues.

The hoard was found between two natural springs in the basin of the Ely River. It is among a number of other hoards from the Ely River (Pendoylan, Michaelstone-Super-Ely, St Fagans and Fairwater) and contributes to evidence suggesting the Ely River held a particular, possibly religious, local significance.

Ewart Park Type leaf shaped swords are the most common sword type of Late Bronze Age Britain (Colquhon & Burgess 1988). Diagnostic features include the straight shoulder sides, as short ricasso and a blade cross section with a rounded mid-section and a gently concave outer section. The combination of features present on this hilt and shoulder fragment do not provide a clear picture as to whether this was an early or late examples of the type: the shoulder flanges are consistent with an early Step 1 sword, the varying ricasso shape on each side, straight on one (Step 2/3), curved on the other (Step 1) is confusing, while the presence of 'pin rivets' are consistent with later Step 3 or 4 swords. Therefore is is difficult to determine whether it is probably of tenth century BC or alternatively of ninth century BC in date.

The items were made from leaded bronze, which is typical for items of Late Bronze Age date.There was a trace presence of iron due to the iron rich soil.

Detailed Description; The shoulder sides are straight and divergent, with side flanges extending part way down the shoulder from the lower hilt. The ricasso form is asymmetric, one side high and with straight edge, the other having a concave shaped curve leading to the upper blade-edge. A single pair of rivet holes, each approximately 4.5mm in diameter are present, located at the lower shoulder area. Above these are a pair of smaller ‘pin rivets’ each approximately 3.5mm in diameter, one showing as a perforation and the other filled with a pin or casting ‘blank’ projecting on both sides and possibly snapped off in mid-section. In cross-section, the upper blade has a gently rounded mid-section and a gently concave outer section with no blade bevel evident. The sword fragment has been markedly bent, suggesting it was deliberately broken with some force in antiquity. The sword has surfaces with a brown patina and the breaks appear ancient but not heavily eroded.