Object: Flat Axehead (Bronze Age)
Period: Bronze Age to BRONZE AGE (-1875 to -1725)
Material: Copper alloy 
Found: Fradley and Streethay, Lichfield, Staffordshire (West Midlands)
Discovery method: Metal detector
Length: 155.1 mm
Thickness: 12.4 mm
Weight: 425.9 g
Description: A complete flat axehead with a crescentic blade, of Early Bronze Age dating (c. 1875 BC to c. 1725 BC).



The axehead has a rectangular shape, with a crescentic blade. In profile, it is of a lentoid (pointed oval), with tapering edges. The butt is almost square. The sides of the axe gently expand in width from the butt, to a proto stop ridge, and then taper down to the blade. The edges of the axe have not been raised to form flanges; however a slight median bevel (proto stop ridge) is present on both faces of the axe. This has been formed from hammering and small oval shaped (dished) scars can be seen on both faces where the metal has been worked to form them. The ridge itself is not especially prominent, just forming a change of angle between the face of the butt and the face of the blade.



From the blade to the proto stop ridge, decoration, in the series of parallel linear lentoid lozenges. This form of decoration is known as rain-pattern and is common on the later decorated examples of the Migdale tradition. The decoration is best observed under a raking light. The side edges of the axe have an almost rope pattern, with two raised areas, suggestive of twisted rope. Beneath the rain pattern decoration the sides of the blade expand to produce a crescentic blade edge. The tips of the crescent shaped blade have been damaged through abrasion, as has the blade edge itself. No blade facet is present.



The axehead measures 155.1 mm in length, 92.9 mm wide (blade), 28.1 mm wide (butt), 2.2 mm thick (butt), 12.4 mm thick (stop ridge), 2.0 mm thick (blade). It weighs 425.9 g.



XRF surface analysis was carried out at Birmingham Museum Conservation Laboratory using a tabletop MIstral XRF machine.






Element (conc. %)

			
Body

			
Edge

		


Silver (Ag)

			
0.00

			
0.00

		


Gold (Au)

			
0.00

			
0.00

		


Copper (Cu)

			
38.77

			
81.58

		


Iron (Fe)

			
21.06

			
0.99

		


Zinc (Zn)

			
0.00

			
0.00

		


Mercury (Hg)

			
0.00

			
0.00

		


Lead (Pb)

			
1.64

			
0.95

		


Tin (Sn)

			
38.53

			
16.48

		



Flat axes decorated with this 'rain pattern' and with crescentic blades can be found during the Willerby metalwork phase, dating from c.1875-1725 BC(Roberts et al, 2013, 23, fig.2.2) of the Early Bronze Age, such as the Class 4 axe illustrated in 'The Circulation of Metal in the British Bronze Age: The Application of Lead Isotope Analysis' (Rohl & Needham 1998, 125, fig.26, no.53).



Schmidt & Burgess (1981) also illustrate developed flat axes with crecentic bades and similar 'rain-pattern' decoration from Ryal and Keighley in plates 28-29, nos.329 & 340, which are classified, respectively, as a Type Falkland developed flat axe, which is compared to an axe from Mount Pleasant in Dorset, dated to c.1900 BC, and a Type Scrabo Hill which is associated with similar axes in the Willerby Wold hoards from East Yorkshire, illustrated in plate 134, nos.D1 & D4.



Several similar flat axeheads have been recorded on the PAS database. They include: CORN-5F6661; DENO-4F12EB; SWYOR-F748BE; SWYOR-6D80EC; and WMID-798FF7.
Subsequent action: Returned to finder