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PIN
Unique ID: PUBLIC-096647
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
Late Bronze Age copper alloy cup-headed pin
The pin is complete (with a distorted length of 237mm, a straightened length of approximately 270mm and a weight of 32.7g). The head has a slightly oval mouth (13.4mm - 14.3mm external diameter, 12mm internal diameter and 3mm deep). The sides of the cup-head are straight and parallel before curving sharply to the shaft. The interior of the cup-head contains no discernible decoration and is filled with corrosion. The pin shaft is of circular section and has a prominent swelling beneath the head (positioned 20mm beneath the head and producing a maximum diameter of 7.8mm). Beneath the swelling, there appears to be a slight rounded lug on one side of the shaft (8mm long, 2mm thick and 2mm high). The shaft gradually thins to the comparatively wide tip. No applied decoration is evident on the pin. The surface is mostly encrusted with sand and shell, and elsewhere has a grey brown surface.
The pin has been problematic to date due to the lack of cultural affinities, however, Eogan (1974, p 98-101) has stated that Cup-headed pins are characteristic of Late Bronze Age Ireland. The size of the head of this example, may be seen as comparatively small, where Irish examples vary from 16-27mm (ibid) but the length of the shaft is comparatively massive. Cup-headed pins have a sparse distribution in Britain with only three recorded examples by O'Connor (1980, p 560) , with the Swansea pin representing the furthest west example recovered in mainland Britain. An example of a cup-headed in the Heathery Burn Cave hoard provides a Ewart Park association for the artefact type in Britain, dated by Needham (1996) to Period 7, c. 950-750BC.
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
Date from: Circa 1150 BC
Date to: Circa 700 BC
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 270 mm
Weight: 32.7 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Friday 26th June 2009
Personal details
This information is restricted for your access level.
Other reference numbers
Other reference: NMWPA 2009.235.2
Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Spatial metadata
Region: Wales (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Swansea (Unitary Authority)
District: Swansea (Unitary Authority)
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eogan, G. | 1974 | Late Bronze Age Pins | ireland | Journal of The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland | 98-107 | ||
| Needham, S.P. | 1996 | Chronology and periodisation in the British Bronze Age | Copenhagen | Wiley | |||
| O'Connor, B. | 1980 | Cross-Channel Relations in the Later Bronze Age | Oxford | British Archaeological Reports 91 |
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Timeline of associated dates
2 comments
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Anni Byard wrote @ 12:18:56 on the 8th July 2011.
An interesting find and I wonder if it is a Picardy Pin? I recorded a very similar one (BERK-2E4E35) that also has a cupped-head. Picardy pins are known from the UK and France and elsewhere in northern Europe and share characteristics including the bulbous neck and side hoop. They date to the Middle Bronze Age c. 1400-1250BC. Other examples of Picardy pins recorded on this database are HAMP-F9F576 and FASW-5C5522. It would be an interesting study to compare the Irish pins and the Picardy pins.
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BRENDAN OCONNOR wrote @ 12:18:38 on the 6th May 2015.
I'm sure Anni is correct that this is Middle Bronze Age. This pin has a swollen neck and the remains of a loop on the shaft and the 'cup-head' is probably a recess for an amber setting, compare the pin from Cornwall illustrated in Antiquaries Journal, 49, 1969, pl XIV.
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