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South Wales Type Socketed Axe - near complete (Find no.6)

Part of a hoard of 39 bronze fragments representing a minimum of 38 artefacts discovered in a field following agricultural drainage work. All of the artefacts were reported as being discovered within an area of 2.4m (8 feet) of each other, of each other and at approximate depths of 20-30cm (8-12 inches).

The patination of the objects is consistent with them having been buried in a peaty peaty deposit, which has been known to result in a brown or black patina (Fontijn 2002,40). The hoard findspot was near small watercourse. A search of the Historic Environment Record (www.archwilio.org.uk) revealed no Bronze Age features of sites in the adjacent fields.

Detailed Description; This is is a near-complete copper-alloy ribbed socketed axe, with a missing side-loop and damaged blade edge.

The axe has near-straight and near-parallel sides, leading towards a slightly expanded and curved blade edge. In plan-view, the axe has a rectangular shaped mouth, with a rectangular shaped body in cross-section. The axe has a pronounced, narrow and everted mouth moulding which the upper loop stub descends from. Three longitudinal and parallel ribs descend from the base of the mouth moulding, extending approcimately halfway down each face. Although worn, the ribs appear to be discontinuous in places, suggesting that the axe was cast using a re-used mould. The casting seams are visible own both sides as slightly raised blunt ridges. The remains of three poorly defined runner-stubs are visible around the socket rim - one on each face and one on the non-loop side. The upper and lower side-loop studs are well-eroded, suggesting that the loop was broken in antiquity or whilst the axe was still buried in the ground.

The axe has a brown to orange-brown patina, with dull green sub-surfaces exposed along the blase and cutting edge. Both faces are well eroded,