CHISEL

An incomplete cast copper-alloy socketed object, possibly a chisel or similar implement and of Bronze Age date. It is sub-triangular in form and triangular in section, terminating in old breaks at both ends. At the narrow end of the object (top?) is an incomplete rectangular socket that contains copper-alloy, possibly simply a result of production or corrosion whilst in the ground, or perhaps originally suggesting the entire socket may have once been filled with copper-alloy and thus solid(?). Beneath the socket the object flares and thins, one side terminating in old breaks. At the base one corner is perhaps intact, but the blade(?) appears mostly incomplete due to old breaks. It is possible that both sides were originally symmetrical and this produced a triangular shaped object with curved blade end, although this remains uncertain as not enough of the object survives intact to reconstruct its original form. Both surfaces have a mid-green patina with some evidence of post-depositional damage and corrosion. It measures 36.39mm in length, 36.22mm in surviving width, 6.81mm in thickness, and weighs 13.74g. This object is probably of Bronze Age date, perhaps a small flaring chisel or leather working knife similar to published examples from Suffolk (Pendleton, 1999: nos. 286-288, 299). This might suggest a Late Bronze Age date, probably in the Late Bronze Age 3 to 4 periods, c.1000-700 BC (C. Pendleton, pers. comm.).