PALSTAVE

An incomplete and extremely worn and corroded cast copper-alloy palstave (axe) or possibly chisel, probably dating to the Middle Bronze Age, c. 1500-1150 BC.The object has lost the butt to an old break but has a thinned septum ending in a stop ridge on both faces. The septum is now 4.3mm thick and 17.7mm wide. The stop ridges are angled rather than vertical but this is probably due to wear as the more complete side appears more vertical. This side also has what may be the very worn remains of flanges although there is otherwise no evidence for them being present.

At the stop ridge the piece is 17.5mm thick and 17.8mm wide, roughly rectangular in section. From this point it narrows to a constriction 16.4mm wide before widening out again to 24.1mm wide at the remains of the blade. It also thins from the stop ridge to the blade, more abruptly at first then more shallowly. The corners of the blade are broken but it remains convex curved in shape. It is too pitted to see if any of the ctting edge survives.

The entire piece is 83.7mm long and weighs 71.17 grams and is heavily corroded and worn with pittng and very worn breaks meaning little, if any, of the original surface remains.

Without being able to see clearly if this piece had flanges it is hard to clasify it accurately. The narrowness of the blade and constriction after the stop ridge are perhaps more similar to chisels such as NMS-894E92, SF2649 and SOMDOR-7B3C43 on this database, especially if the stop ridge was originally angled rather than vertical. It does not however have the horizontal sides of the more common chisel form, as seen on SF-09D1D5 and SUSS-D93644 on this database. It is therefore suggested it is a relatively small, narrow bladed Palstave axehead, either looped or unlooped, belonging to the Taunton phase (1400-1300 BC) of metalworking or possibly to the slightly earlier Acton Park II period, (c.1500-1400 BC); both correspond with Needham's period 5, (1500-1150 CAL BC). It was perhaps similar to SOM-1DE687, HAMP-996311 or the axeheads in GLO-6535E4.

Peter Reavill (Shropshire FLO) comments: Rowlands (1976, Vol. 2 Plate 35) has an example from Beachamwell (I assume Norfolk) which I think is very similar - further Rowlands' writes: The earliest form (of chisel) would appear to have flanges without a stop ridge whilst later forms are constructed on the palstave pattern, often with shield-pattern decoration. (ibid vol1 p44). If this is the case then the logical dating would be similar to that for Early / Primary Palstaves (1500-1300BC).