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SPEARHEAD
Unique ID: CORN-740B97
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Awaiting validation 
Incomplete cast copper alloy leaf-shaped spearhead with broken blade and broken tapering socket, triangular in plan and oval in section. There is a hole in the side of the socket below the blade but this is not a peg hole or the remains of a side-loop, but the result of corrosion. There does appear to be a curved edge on one side of the socket at the edge of the break, which may be part of a peg hole, in which case it may date from the Penard phase (c.1250-1125 BC) which is at the end of the Middle Bronze Age and has some transitional artefacts, such as early pegged spearheads, or the Wilburton phase (c.1125-975 BC) which is the earliest Late Bronze Age phase (Dr. Richard Davis pers comm).
Pearce (1983) in Part (ii) illustrates two similar examples on page 565, Plate 4, No.45 from St Erth, and No.48a, from Wheal Virgin streamworks, Pentewan, which also have broken sockets and points and therefore are not precisely dated.
There are also two pegged spearheads from the hoard found at Kilnhurst, South Yorkshire (Smith 1958), which are similar but a little larger. This hoard is dated to the Penard phase because of the associated objects (Dr. Richard Davis forthcoming).
Subsequent actions
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
Subperiod from: Middle
Period from: BRONZE AGE
Subperiod to: Late
Period to: BRONZE AGE
Date from: Circa 1250 BC
Date to: Circa 975 BC
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 87 mm
Width: 20 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight: 34.32 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Wednesday 1st April 2009 - Sunday 31st May 2009
Personal details
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Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Incomplete
Spatial metadata
Region: South West (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Cornwall (Unitary Authority)
District: Cornwall (Unitary Authority)
Parish or ward: Callington (Civil Parish)
Spatial coordinates
4 Figure: SX3769
Four figure Latitude: 50.498063
Four figure longitude: -4.299643
1:25K map: SX3769
1:10K map: SX39SE
Grid reference source: From a paper map
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 10 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pearce, S.M. | 1983 | The Bronze Age Metalwork of South Western Britain | Oxford | British Archaeological Reports | 565, Plate 4, | Nos.45 & 48a | |
| Smith, M.A. | 1958 | Inventaria archaeologica 6th set GB.35-41: Late Bronze Age hoards in the British Museum | London | British Museum |
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Timeline of associated dates
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