Rights Holder: North Lincolnshire Museum
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Unique ID: NLM-A00C58
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
Copper alloy palstave axe. Cast looped palstave axe with a wide [71mm] crescentic cutting edge to its blade which is bevelled on either face for 11.5mm, an effect perhaps emphasised by sharpening. Apparently recent sharpening – or extremely well-preserved evidence for sharpening in antiquity – is present on about one third of the cutting edge, though on one side only. Behind the cutting edge a triangular midpart of the blade is slightly concave on both sides with a single central moulded rib of length 54mm. The blade tapers to meet a butt which has expanded convex flanges to either side. The ribs meet angled surfaces or stop ridges defining the ends of opposed sub-rectangular hollows at the butt end of the axe; the hollows both have a dimple in their basal angle. A single integrally cast loop of length 25mm and width 6.4mm is set below the axe-head and bridges the inner parts of blade and butt. A mould line also passes along this position and around the object. The surface is brown, with a green appearance only at the site of abrasion near the midpoint on one side only.
The looped form with a single moulded rib on the blade is characteristic of what Davey (1970, Later Bronze Age Metalwork from Lincolnshire, B. Phil. dissertation, University of Liverpool, pages 296-306, figs 15-18) defines as Lincolnshire transitional palstaves. The flanges of this axe, however, are more rounded and lack the persistently angled form of most of the objects illustrated by Davey’s thesis. Suggested date: Middle Bronze Age, 1300BC-1100BC.
Length: 147mm, Width: 71mm, Thickness (at flanges): 27mm, Weight: c.350gms
This is a find of note and has been designated: County / local importance
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
Subperiod from: Middle
Period from: BRONZE AGE
Subperiod to: Middle
Period to: BRONZE AGE
Date from: Circa 1300 BC
Date to: Circa 1100 BC
Quantity: 1
Length: 147 mm
Width: 71 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight: 350 g
Date(s) of discovery: Thursday 11th August 2022
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Other reference: NLM50683a
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Grid reference source: Centred on field
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
No references cited so far.