SPEARHEAD

A cast copper alloy incomplete spearhead of late Bronze Age date. The object can be classified from Group 16 Blade openings (Davis, R. 2015. The Late Bronze Age spearheads of Britain. [PBF V.7]. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner.).

The object has a sub-triangular blade which is broken at the tip. One long barb remains but is damaged and measures 35mm in length, from the break to the base of the blade. The socket flares outwards in width measuring 9mm in diameter. A perforation probably used as a peg hole on the socket has an internal diameter of 4mm. The object has a dark brownish black patina.

Richard Davies notes: It is a very short spearhead for the type at approx. 72mm remaining, probably originally 80mm taking into account the damaged tip. There are at least two circular blade openings, one on each wing. It is possible that there were other openings on the blade - either another set of circles or a slot leading down from the circles. The shape of the lower part of the blade is unclear. It is likely to have been a flame shaped blade with a wide curved base. There is no midrib above the circles. The blade wings meet in a gentle curve at the centre of the upper blade. The blade edges are blunt. I can see no trace of cast pegholes on the side of the socket. The rough circular hole on the front of the socket appears to have been used as a peghole to secure the spearhead to the shaft.

Group 16 Blade Openings spearheads are generally seen as elite weapons denoting status. They had use as parade weapons and votive objects, but also were used in combat. The average length of spearheads in the Group is 301mm, with the largest being 451mm. 84 spearheads had been recorded in Group 16 with the shortest being 91m, so this Cheshire spearhead is now the shortest on record. In view of its size, it would not have been particularly impressive, but the trouble taken to create the decorative blade openings must have made it special.

It is likely to be dated to the early part of the Late Bronze Age - between 1050 and 1000 BC.

Group 16 spearheads are rare in the region, with only one other from Cheshire in the Congleton hoard.