Object: Hoard (Bronze Age)
Period: Bronze Age to IRON AGE (-1150 to -1000)
Material: Copper alloy Ceramic
Found: Preston, Dover, Kent (South East)
Discovery method: Metal detector
Weight: 12559 g
Description: A hoard of 929 fragments of copper-alloy plate and their container of likely Late Bronze Age date, c. 1150 - 800BC, possibly of the Wilburton phase (c.1150-1000BC).



Description: The hoard consists of 929 fragments of copper-alloy 'plate'. These pieces range in size from 9mm x 6mm to 58mm x 41mm and are highly irregular. No element can clearly be identifed as coming from either a bun ingot, typical of the period or clearly definet object types. It is noted however that all the fragments are small enough to easily be added to a crucible for remelting. While most of the edges of the fragments appear to be breaks or relatively rough some 'natural' rounded edges are noted, likely from their inital produciton and thus suggest an orignal shape/size. All Fragments are patinated green and a number have fused together. The fragment sin total weighed 12559g.



These fragments were contianed within a medium sized hand made ceramic vessel, missing the rim and upper body (possibly because of plough truncation) and of an unidentified Bronze Age type. The ceramic fabric is of a silty-sandy matrix, with a fair fine flint temper and some larger sparser inclusions of irregular quartzite. The surface appears to have been finished in some manner reflecting possible smoothing on the inside. The upper section of the vessel appear to be relativelly thin and thickens substantial to the base. The diameter of the body of the pot is suggestee to be 210mm and survies to a height of 160mm.



Discussion:



The plates found at Preston show some similarities to another hoard recorded in Kent, the 2012 treasure case report and excavation at Lyminge (2012 T164). At Lyminge, amongst other LBA/Early Iron Age a total of around 380 copper alloy 'ingot plates' were found. Although at the time they lacked a parallel both in the immediate area and in continental Europe, we can note clear similarities between this hoard found at Preston and the case found at Lyminge. In both examples the plates appear in large numbers, they are of varying form and are suggestive of fracture or fragmentation as opposed to neat cutting. They are visually similar although the Lyminge pieces appear to be generally larger.



In regards the Lyminge hoard, the lack of similarity to existing forms of Bronze Age metalwork, differences in composition and the difficulty of dating the plates led to questioning of the Bronze Age date ultimately given. The secure placement of copper alloy pieces in a Bronze Age vessel at Preston strongly supports the assessment that these pieces reflect a Bronze Age date and use, possibly the same as that at Preston. Although no complete vessels were found at Lyminge, there were numerous pottery sherds likely contemporaneous with the plates. It is possible although not certain that the pieces may have been stored in these vessels as is the case at Preston.



While Lyminge is the most direct comparison we can draw to this hoard, there are several other sites which may possess similar examples of plate scrap, albeit in more limited forms and on a smaller scale. A treasure case (2014 T60) found near Bramfield in Suffolk for example possessed 28 copper-alloy fragments of plate-scrap 'ingot' of "varying size and thickness". While the pieces are identified as ingot fragments in the report, we can note far more similarity to the smaller pieces of plate found in this treasure case. The pieces of alloy are smaller than many ingots (all below 50mm) but are also crucially far thinner with depth generally between 2 and 5mm. The rectangular shape present on most of the pieces is also arguably similar to the treasure case in question. Similarly a treasure case hoard (2008T589) found at Broxted, Essex possessed a large and homogenous plate assemblage of 31 pieces. These pieces were more or less flat, they range in thickness from 2.5 to 6.3 millimetres and possessed an "average thickness of 3.5 millimetres". Although these plates are as a whole larger than those found in the Preston hoard and as such could show more similarity to Ingot, they still show some basic similarities. In this Essex treasure case several natural edges are present possessing curved outlines, something that can similarly be noted at the edges of the Preston hoard.



The unpublished Waldershare hoard from Dover Museum is possibly the most similar example. This hoard assemblage contained 341 fragments of bronze sword blades found in and around a flint tempered clay pot. While they have been identified as sword fragment (Weller, 2014), many of the pieces do not appear to reflect a traditional sword form and instead show similarities to the plate present in this treasure case. The presence of a vessel is also notable suggesting a connection between these two plate scrap hoards. Waldershare (Likely the general area of the hoard) is within 15 miles of both Lyminge and Preston and as such could represent links between the findspots.



Date and Wider context



The Late Bronze Age (LBA) has been generally noted as the most abundant period in terms of hoards with large numbers being deposited. Notably, very few of these assemblages in Kent contain obvious prestige items, instead the LBA as a whole contains a prevalence of ingots and cast waste (Weller, 2014). These pieces often found in founders hoards are widely interpreted as refuse material waiting to be recycled and used again (Brück, 2002). The hoards are often extremely large with hundreds of pieces not uncommon.



This case fits well into such a pattern with the size of the pieces being supportive of their use in a crucible. The identification of other treasure cases containing potential pieces of plate scrap as Wilburton can assist with our assignment of this case to the LBA period. The pieces found with LBA material such as the axe at Lyminge may further support this assessment.



The ceramic vessel as noted suggests a range of dates, in both cases the LBA is mentioned as a possibility (1150 - 800 BC) and this is possibly in keeping with other plate scrap sites. The possibility it is either MBA (1500-1150 BC) or Early Iron Age (800-600 BC) can still be noted, however.



Nearby archaeological sites of interest show a range of archaeological features within 500m of the site. Neolithic activity in the North West is present but likely unrelated to this site. Iron Age settlement activity is also present, spreading to a ring ditch, finds of early Roman pottery in this area may suggest this may be too late in date although a long occupation is possible. A multi-phase Bronze Age settlement is also present to the immediate South West of the find as well as a Late Bronze Age axe hoard found within a mile. Whether these sites are related to the hoard is unclear but they can be noted as possible parts of a wider LBA or EIA landscape (Jackson & Ahmet, 2016).



Deposition 



Some inferences can be made from the total weight of the pieces, taken together they weigh over 12kg (12.559kg) and as such are potentially too heavy to be lifted in the pot in which they were contained. The weight is possibly suggestive that the pieces have been only placed in the vessel for deposition and were not being carried in it regularly. The weight also gives us some insight into the significant amount being removed from circulation, the need to store the volume of bronze for future use may explain the deposition in a single pot. The weight of the pieces shows few obvious parallels, the site of Sittingbourne is one clear example containing 13.6kg of amorphous tin-bronze fragments.



Conclusion 



The 929 pieces of plate metal and the ceramic vessel in which they were deposited represent a single find, all or part of which appears to have been deposited in a Bronze Age ceramic vessel. The metal fragments show clear similarities to several other later prehistoric cases in the area with the potential of sharing wider metallurgical activity with the site of Lyminge. Considering this evidence, the objects described above represent a single find of more than two base metal objects of prehistoric date, and therefore qualify as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act (1996) (Designation Order 2002)
Notes: We are grateful to Nigel Macpherson-Grant for his observations and thoughts on the ceramic vessel of this hoard.



Due to the substantial nature of this hoard and time restraints a sample of the fragments are photographed and shown here. Further pictures of the fragments and the container will hopefully be forthcoming.



This hoard is known as Preston Hill Hoard 1, see KENT-729BB2 for Preston Hill hoard 2.
Subsequent action: Submitted for consideration as Treasure