Object: Hoard (Bronze Age)
Period: Bronze Age to BRONZE AGE (-2200 to -2050)
Material: Copper alloy 
Found: Coity Higher, Bridgend, Bridgend (Wales)
Discovery method: Metal detector
Description: Early Bronze Age hoard comprising one flat axe and one axe-chisel.



1. Flat axe - Type Barton Stacey (Class 3D)



Dimensions: maximum length 156.0mm; width of butt 34.2mm; blade width 98.1mm; maximum thickness 9.2mm; weight 475.2g.



This is a complete flat axe in good condition, with original surfaces surviving over the majority of the axe. The axe is narrow-butted and wide-bladed and has a lenticular profile. The sides of the axe are gently concave, expanding modestly from the butt to the blade end. There is slight triple faceting visible down the sides of the axe, indicating that these were hammered after casting. Hammering of the side facets has led to the face-edges becoming crisp and very slightly raised in places, however this is not deliberate and visible enough to constitute true low hammered flanges. The butt of the axe is curved with a low to medium arch. There is no central stop bevel on the faces of the axe. The broad cutting edge has a shallow blade bevel, approximately 7mm in depth. Striations are evident on the lower face and blade bevel, running parallel with the long-axis of the axe, indicating the blade was prepared for use. There is differential patination evident on the axe, one face being green and the other being dark-grey green. Along one side of the dark-grey green face, there is an elongate strip of mottled surface matching the size and dimensions of the axe-chisel. This provides evidence that the axe and axe-chisel were carefully placed together, one immediately on top of the other. A localised area of black patination extends across half of the blade bevel on the reverse axe face with green patination. On the butt end of the face with green patination, a modern diagonal scrape is also evident, revealing a small area of fresh bronze metal. A second less deep diagonal scratch is also evident on the same face at the lower blade end. This is likely to have occurred during recent removal of the axe from the ground by the finder. In places along the face-edges and blade-edge original surfaces have been lost, revealing grey-green areas of sub-surface. In places along face-edges, there is also localised surface cracking evident on original surfaces, indicating these areas to be fragile and unstable.



2. Axe-chisel (Class 3)



Dimensions: maximum length 110.6mm; width of butt 14.8mm; blade width 44.6mm; maximum thickness 6.1mm; weight 84.4g.



This is a complete slender axe-chisel in good condition, with original surfaces surviving over the majority of the artefact. The axe-chisel is narrow butted and lenticular in profile. The sides of the axe-chisel are gently concave, expanding modestly from the butt to the blade end. The butt of the axe-chisel is curved with a low arch. There is no central stop bevel on the axe-chisel faces. On the lower face, near the blade edge surface striations are evident, generally aligned parallel with the artefact long axis and suggesting it was prepared for use. The axe-chisel has a mottled and variable coloured patina, ranging from green, grey-green to green-brown. One face has appreciable surface concretions, which are black and brown in colour and this would appear to have been the surface which was laid directly against the flat axe (above). Along one upper side towards the butt end, there is a linear groove or scratch, which has exposed fresh bronze metal and this appears to be recent. There is a circular scar on one upper face, near the face-edge, which appears to have been created by being recently knocked, to remove an area of fragile original surface. Near the butt end and at the blade margins, there are small areas where original surfaces have been lost, revealing grey green areas of powdery sub-surface.
Notes: The flat axe (No. 1, above) may be identified as a Class 3 flat axe, of the 3D sub-class named Type Barton Stacey. This identification is based upon a combination of stylistic and technological features and metrical measurements and ratios, as defined and developed by Needham in relation to the Early Bronze Age axes of central and southern England (Needham 1983; forthcoming). As such, this may be correlated with the Brithdir Assemblage (Period 2; Metalwork Assemblage III) at the very beginning of bronze casting in Britain around 2200/2150-2050 BC (e.g. Needham 1985, iii; 1996, 127-30; forthcoming; Needham et al 2015, 35-6; Rohl & Needham 1998,

88-9). These forms of flat axe are fairly well represented in Wales and The Marches.



The second smaller artefact (No. 2, above), may be identified as a Class 3 axe-chisel, based upon its stylistic and technological features, size and proportions. Class 3 axes and axe-chisels are diagnostic of the Brithdir and Mile Cross Assemblages (Period 2/ earlier Period 3; Metalwork Assemblages III & IV) in Britain between around 2200/2150-1950 BC (e.g. Needham 1985, iii; 1996, 127-32; forthcoming; Rohl & Needham 1998, 88-90). However, the features and proportions evident on this example are similar to those witnessed on the associated flat axe. This strongly supports the notion that this axe-chisel may also be dated to the Brithdir Assemblage (Period 2; Metalwork Assemblage III) and dating to around 2200/2150-2050 BC.



Class 3 axe-chisels are less common than Class 3 axes, though their frequency has been increasing in recent years through metal detected finds reported via the Portable Antiquities Scheme.



The finder's account of the discovery, a preliminary archaeological investigation of the find-spot of the hoard and careful observation of the two artefacts have provided important information about the manner of their burial in the ground. The finder reported the two artefacts were found lying flat, with the axe-chisel lying on the flat axe at a depth of approximately 30cm beneath the surface and beneath a large flat stone. It is highly probable that these two bronze artefacts were carefully placed together within a small pit, dug during the Early Bronze Age, which was quickly infilled and covered and concealed with a large limestone capping stone.



Metallurgical analysis of the flat axe and axe-chisel has confirmed that both artefacts are made of a tin bronze, with significant presence of arsenic as an impurity. This alloy composition adds weight to their dating attribution to the Brithdir Assemblage at the very beginning of bronze casting in Britain (ca. 2200/2150-2050 BC). Lead isotope analyses of other contemporary bronze flat axes from Britain have strengthened the evidence for a continuing use of arsenical copper sources within flat axes of this earliest bronze tradition (Rohl & Needham 1998, 88-9, Plots 26A & B) and the arsenical presence detected in this flat axe and axe-chisel is consistent with this picture. Analysis has also confirmed that both artefacts had extremely similar alloy signatures and were cast from the same metal alloy composition. This provides an additional strand of evidence in support of the contemporaneity of these two artefacts.



Authors



Adam Gwilt - Principal Curator: Prehistory, Department of History & Archaeology, Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales



Mark Lodwick - Co-ordinator of the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Wales (PAS Cymru)



Steve Sell - Volunteer Finds Liaison Officer, Formerly Archaeology Project Officer at Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust



Julia Koppe - PAS Cymru intern assistant / post-graduate student, University of Hamburg



Mary Davis - Principal Analytical Services Officer, Department of Collections Services, Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales
Subsequent action: Acquired by museum after being declared Treasure