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South Wales Variant Socketed Axe - near complete (Find no.4)

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 a near-complete small copper-alloy ribbed socketed axe which is missing approximately one-third of its mouth and upper body. The sides are straight and slightly divergent, leading towards a moderately expanded and curved blade edge. Enough of the mouth survives to indicate that it is rectangular shaped in plan-view, with a rectangular shaped body in cross-section. The axe has a pronounced, narrow and slightly everted mouth mouling, from which a slender loop descends from the underside of. Five longitudinal ribs descend from the base of the mouth moulding, extending approximately two-thirds down each face. The central three ribs are straight and parallel, whilst the outer ribs define and follow the face edges and are slightly divergent. A single runner-stub is visible along the surviving socket rim, positioned above the side-loop. The casting seams are visible down both sides as slightly raised blunt ridges. There are very fine striations parallel with the blade edge, indicating that the axe was sharpened in antiquity. Small and subtle impact marks can be seen above the blade tip on the non-loop side, indicating further preparation in antiquity. Much of the original surface along the blade edge has been lost. The upper break edges are eroded and appear within the patinated surface, indicating damage caused during antiquity.

The axe has a brown patina. Original surfaces survive well on one face, whilst the opposing face appears more eroded. The upper surface of one face appears light brown and 'spotty', concentrated between the longitudinal ribs (some sort of mineralization? The surface is not pitted- it seems to appear within the surface of the axe and is absent from the ribs). Light green surfaces are visible in short sections around the mouth and along the blade edge.