Object: Socketed Axehead (Bronze Age)
Period: Bronze Age to BRONZE AGE (-1150 to -750)
Material: Copper alloy 
Found: Conwy, Conwy, Conwy (Wales)
Discovery method: Metal detector
Length: 87.6 mm
Thickness: 33.2 mm
Weight: 129.2 g
Description: Late Bronze Age copper alloy socketed axe of faceted form and of Type Gillespie (follow Schmidt and Burgess 1981, 191f.).



The axe is complete, although the blade edge has been lost and the axe has an overall length of 87.6mm and weighs 129.2g. The mouth is oval with an external width of 35.7mm and an external thickness of 33.2mm (internal - 27.8mm x 24.7mm). The socket has a depth of 74mm and becomes sub-rectangular in section c. 25mm from the mouth. The rim has been carefully finished and no evidence of the casting runner stubs survives. The pronounced flaring, trumpet-shaped mouth is 13mm deep. The separation of the mouth and face is defined by a rounded collar moulding, which is deeper on the mouth side to accentuate the flaring trumpet mouth. The loop begins at the collar moulding and has an external length of 21.3mm (11.6mm internal) and rises to a height of 10mm, with a width of 7.8mm. The casting seams are visible down both sides and have been neatly finished, particularly on the area between the blade and loop. The sides are straight before the blade, where the sides expand and are recurved, producing an expanded cutting edge. Beneath the collar moulding the axe has the hexagonally-faceted form. The faces are slightly convex and rounded. The blade is distinct and begins 15mm from the current edge. Sharpening striations are evident running along both sides of the blade. The axe has generally good surface survival with some damage to the blade. The axe has a patchy black patina and elsewhere has a pale to mid green patina.
Notes: This socketed axe is part of a hoard of five objects, found around 1975. The hoard consists of two palstaves (NMGW-632296; NMGW-759FC0), a socketed gouge (NMGW-75FE70) and a blade of an uncertain object (NMGW-7621D3).



This hoard can be fairly confidently dated to the Late Bronze Age, resolution within this time period however, is problematic and requires metallurgical analysis to resolve. The socketed axe (NMGWPA 2005.93.3) of Type Gillespie can be dated from late Wilburton to Ewart Park (Schmidt & Burgess 1981, pp 193), although Wilburton associations are known (ibid.).  The palstaves (NMGWPA 2005.93.1-2) are suggested as being of 'Guilsfield' type and suggest manufacture during the Wilburton metalworking industry. Wilburton metalworking corresponds to Needham's (1996) Period 6 and is dated to c. 1150-950 BC. Savory (1980, pp 55) has suggested that a simple mouth mouldings on socketed gouges suggests a later date within the type, probably implying a Ewart Park date for the gouge NMGWPA 2005.93.4, within Needham's (1996) Period 7, dated to c. 950-750BC.



The highly tentative parallel drawn between the blade fragment NMGWPA 2005.93.5 and the Acton Park hoard may present a slight possibility of an earlier association dating to the later Middle Bronze Age and of Acton 2 metalworking stage, corresponding to Needham's (ibid.) Period 5 and dated to c. 1500-1150BC. However, the blade may also plausibly represent the lower part of a tanged chisel, such as those seen in the Late Bronze Age hoards from Penwyllt, Powys, and Brogyntyn, Shropshire (Savory 1980, No.284(9); No.288(3)). It is the Identifier's opinion that these complex dating issues may only be resolved through metallurgical analysis to identify the alloying group as outlined by Northover (1980).
Subsequent action: Returned to finder