Late Bronze Age bronze socketed axe - Collections Online | Museum Wales
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Late Bronze Age bronze socketed axe

Complete three ribbed socketed axe with a thin and prominent outsplayed mouth moulding, from which a high placed loop extends. Three longitudinal ribs extend down each face of the axe, although they are discontinuous and poorly defined, suggesting that the mould pieces were worn at the time of casting. The mould pieces were slightly misaligned during casting, giving both external and internal mouths a parallelogram shape, rather than the expected sub-rectangular form. In addition the socket is off centre, giving unevenness in wall thickness around the mouth. Traces of four runner stubs are visible, although three are well corroded. The socket base is even in shape. The sides of the axe are straight and slightly divergent, with slight expansion at the blade end. The axe is hexagonal in cross-section although face edges are curved. The casting flashes are prominent but blunt, suggesting that they were rapidly hammered down soon after casting. Slight casting flaws are visible below the loop (an irregular shaped dribble running at right angles to the casting seam) and beneath the loop (as an unintended concavity). The blade edge is completely corroded, although shows modest curvature. The upper blade margins have been hammered into shape, whilst striations on the blade bevel, parallel to the blade edge, indicate that the axe was prepared for use. Upper faces and sides have a black patina (tenorite), whilst other original surfaces are dark green. The internal socket surfaces have a dark green/black patination. Corroded patches on the mouth, sides and blade edge are light green in colour.

Late Bronze Age bronze socketed axe
Image: By permission of Amgueddfa Cymru — Museum Wales
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Collection Area

Archaeology & Numismatics

Item Number

2007.43H/3

Find Information

Site Name: Glascoed, Monmouthshire

Collection Method: metal detector
Date: 2001 / August

Notes: Discovered on a playing field near Glascoed, Llanbadoc Community by Mr Smith whilst metal detecting. All finds except 2007.43H/7 & /16 were found at depths of between 10-30cms. The other two finds were found in the detector pit on a subsequent visit to the site.

Measurements

weight / g:229.8
length / mm:91.1
width / mm:46.1 (blade)
thickness / mm:36.7

Categories

Unassigned record verified by A. Gwilt
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