Rights Holder: The Portable Antiquities Scheme
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Unique ID: OXON-EF383A
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation
A corroded Medieval or Post-Medieval iron whittle-tang knife blade with an incomplete tang.
The back is flat, and the former cutting edge tends to taper gently and generally in a straight line, disregarding several irregular serrations, from the hilt to about 4 millimetres before the extant tip. From there it tapers more steeply and convexly to meet the back edge. The serrations seem to be a consequence of corrosion and fragmentation rather than an intentional feature.
The tang is broadly rectangular in cross-section and projects from the blade close to the back edge. It tapers in width and terminates in an old break after approximately 18.7 millimetres.
Both parts are covered in red-brown corrosion products and the blade is slightly bent towards the tip.
The object is 144.2mm long, 23.7mm wide, 7.3mm thick and weighs 46.29 grams
Similar examples on the database include SF-EAF8A6, NMS-F03EC4 and SWYOR-11F16E. Ferrous knifes are difficult to date without secure, stratified contexts. This piece is consistent with an Early Medieval whittle-tanged knife. The form is broadly congruent with Ottway's Class C (Evans and Loveluck 2009) and Evison Type 2 (1978: 113) and similar to an illustrated example: Evans and Loveluck 2009: pg 216: no 2111. Similar examples are known from Post Medieval contexts, however, including: GLO-18A67E
This has been noted as an interesting find by the recorder.
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Broad period: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Period from: EARLY MEDIEVAL
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 500
Date to: Circa AD 1700
Quantity: 1
Length: 144.2 mm
Width: 23.7 mm
Thickness: 7.3 mm
Weight: 46.29 g
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 16th January 2022 - Monday 16th January 2023
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Other reference: OMS receipt 2742
Primary material: Iron
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
4 Figure: SP3615
Four figure Latitude: 51.83245882
Four figure longitude: -1.47897108
1:25K map: SP3615
1:10K map: SP31NE
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Evans, D.H. and Loveluck, C. | 2009 | Life and Economy at Early Medieval Flixborough, c. AD 600-1000: The Artefact Evidence | Oxford | Oxbow Books | |||
Evison, V.I. | 1987 | Dover: The Buckland Anglo-Saxon Cemetery | London | HBMC |