SOCKETED AXEHEAD

Late Bronze Age bronze socketed axe of South Wales (Stogursey) Type, of Ewart Park Metalworking Industry, dating to Needham's Period 7 (c. 950 - 750BC).

The axe is fragmentary and distorted, represented by a mouth fragment, comprising part of one face and the looped side (with a surviving length of 44.1mm and a weight of 62.7g). The mouth (with a distorted width of 56.4mm and a surviving depth of 26mm) is flat topped (6.4mm - 9.4mm wide) and two casting runner stubs are evident on the surviving side and face. There is a mouth moulding, bevel to the face (6.8mm long). The loop springs from the base of the moulding and returns immediately above the break (with a length of 32mm and an internal length of 17.4mm). The loop is broken (with a surviving height of 9.6mm) and appears to have broken more recently. The casting seam is clearly discernible below the loop but has been neatly finished. The surviving side fragment is slightly concave across its length and across its width, is bevelled towards the centre, which would have produced a sub-hexagonal body section. The surviving face is decorated with three ribs, which are near-parallel or slightly converging. The face has been battered below the mouth, damaging the mouth moulding and distorting the axe. The surface has patinated, suggesting the damage occurred in antiquity. Further evidence of battering can be seen on the side of the face and above the break. The rear has a tears corresponding to the impact points. All damage to the axe, apart from the loop appears to have occurred in antiquity. The surface has a pale-green patina with small surviving traces of a black patina or corrosion surviving.

The damage to the axe appears to have occurred in antiquity and may have been deliberate, possibly for votive purpose.