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Bronze Age bronze socketed axe
This is a socketed axe with a deep, plain moulded collar and a side loop on one side. The body is eight-faceted and the sides slight diverge towards a flaring blade with a crescentic cutting edge. The cutting edge shows signs of wear but the overall axe is complete. It can be attributed to Type Gillespie.
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Find Information
Site Name: Craig-yr-Wolf, Llanarmon-yn-Iâl
Notes: Hoard. A socketed axe containing four gold objects in five pieces was found in July 1982 lying on a natural rock ledge, which had been exposed by soil erosion. The ledge formed part of a west-facing limestone outcrop known as Craig-yr-Wolf. The bracelets were tightly coiled separately into small spirals and one piece of a small link was found on one of the bracelets. A joining fragment of the link and a small gold ingot were also found loose in the axe socket. The finder also reported having found small fragments of lead ore in the soil in the socket but discarded them. Archaeological excavation of the remaining soil deposit resulted in no new finds or information. Association of gold objects inside copper alloy (bronze) socketed axes is now known for three Late Bronze Age hoards in Wales, the other two being from Rossett, Wrexham, and Michaelston-super-Ely, Cardiff. The Michaelston-super-Ely hoard also contained a coiled gold bracelet.