FLAT AXEHEAD

Early Bronze Age Developed flat axe, probably of Type Bandon, as defined Schmidt & Burgess (1981, pp 65-7)[1] and dating to c. 1,900 - 1,700BC

The axe is near-complete with some peripheral damage (with a surviving length of 101.3mm and a weight of 128.4g). The butt is now rounded (with a width of 20.6mm). The sides are straight and near-parallel as far as the median bevel (where the axe has a width of 23.9mm), after which the axe sides are concave and sharply divergent to the eroded blade tips. The blade was originally likely to have been comparatively widely expanded (with a maximum surviving blade width of 50.7mm)

The sides are heavily corroded and are convex across their thicknesses'. The flanges survive on both faces (with a surviving height of 1mm). There is a clear straight medial bevel (giving the axe a maximum thickness of 9.7mm, without the flanges and 11.8mm with), surviving on one of the faces (positioned 38.5mm from the butt, 62mm from the blade). The blade face is corroded but appears to have had a facet corresponding to the position where the sides expanded sharply (20mm from the blade edge). The original blade edge is lost but some surface survives on the blade, preserving sharpening striations running along the blade. The surface has a dark-green to brown patina with no trace of applied decoration.

The peripheral damage to the axe makes typological identification uncertain. The clear median bevel, straight sides behind the bevel and expanded blade edge suggest comparatively 'Developed' features on the axe, suggesting Type Bandon (following Schmidt and Burgess 1981) or a probable Class 4 (following Needham 1983; forthcoming), dating to Periods 3-4 of the Early Bronze Age (c.1950-1500 BC) (Needham 1996). Class 4 axes straddle the boundary between Periods 2 and 3, but this axe can be confidently assigned to Period 3, probably falling within the late Aylesford to Willerby metalworking phases (c.1950-1750 BC) (Needham et al. 1997).

[1]Schmidt, P.K. & Burgess, C. 1981; The Axes of Scotland and Northern Ireland, Prähistorische Bronzefunde Abteilung IX, 7. Band 7

[2]Needham, S. 1996; Chronology and Periodisation in the British Bronze Age , Acta Archaeologica 67.