Object: Hoard (Bronze Age)
Period: Bronze Age to BRONZE AGE (-1000 to -800)
Material: Copper alloy 
Found: Llanharan, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Rhondda Cynon Taf (Wales)
Discovery method: Metal detector
Description: Late Bronze Age hoard comprising five socketed axes and one axe fragment.



1. South Wales type socketed axe
Dimensions: surviving length 101.5mm; surviving blade width 51.1mm; width below loop 42.9mm; external mouth dimensions 51.0 by 41.9mm; internal mouth dimensions 33.0 by 27.1mm; dimensions of runner stubs 8.6 by 4.5mm; height 1.0mm; (2) 8.2 by 4.9mm; height 0.5mm; (3) 7.5 by 3.7mm; height 0.5mm; (4) 9.0 by 3.5mm; height 0.2mm; depth of socket approx. 83.0mm; surviving weight 278.7g.



A near complete socketed axe with a broken loop, of blocky rectangular form, with straight and slightly divergent sides and little expansion and recurving visible towards the blade end. The axe has a prominent but narrow mouth moulding, with a high and narrow loop descending from the underside. Three well-defined and parallel ribs descend from the moulding on each face, extending down approximately three-quarters of the blade. The axe is rectangular in section with angular face edges. The casting seams are visible down each side, but have been hammered or filed down with reasonable care, although the flash within the loop is slightly more prominent and less worked down. The mouth is sub-rectangular in shape and internal aperture. Four runner stubs are evident around the mouth, indicating a four-runner casting technology. The axe has a brown patina and most original surfaces survive. The blade edge is highly damaged, revealing lighter green surfaces. There are small areas of eroded lighter green surfaces along the face edges and around the mouth.



2. South Wales type socketed axe
Dimensions: surviving length 101.1mm; surviving blade width 55.4mm; width below loop 40.9mm; external mouth dimensions 51.2mm by 40.6mm; internal mouth dimensions 34.3mm by 28.6mm; dimensions of runner stubs (1) 11.3 by 5.4mm; height 1.5mm; (2) 11.4 by 5.0mm; height 1.0mm; (3) 10.7 by 4.6mm; height 0.5mm; (4) 10.6 by 4.4mm; height 0.5mm; depth of socket approx. 76.0mm; surviving weight 274.7g.

This is a complete socketed axe with slightly concave and divergent sides, with significant expansion and recurving at the blade end. The axe has a prominent and slightly bulbous mouth moulding, with a high placed and relatively wide loop descending from its underside. Three well-defined and convergent ribs descend from the moulding on each face, extending down approximately two-thirds of the length of the faces. On one face, the outer rib, furthest from the loop side is more markedly angled and convergent, suggesting an imperfection in the shaping of this mould piece. The axe is rectangular in cross-section with angled face edges. The casting seams down each side are prominent, but have been hammered to remove sharp edges. The mouth is sub-oval in external shape, with a sub-rectangular shaped internal aperture, with rounded corners. Four runner stubs are evident around the mouth, indicating a four-runner casting technology. One upper face has a shallow depressed area, suggesting an irregularity in the shaping of the mould-piece used for casting the axe. Along the blade bevel, the presence of linear surface striations parallel with the axis of the blade indicate that the blade of the axes was prepared and sharpened. The axe has a grey-green patina over most surfaces. On the upper faces, there are patches of black patination, suggesting that the axe may have been deliberately coloured through a patination process, after casting. The blade edge is heavily worn, with light green and fragile powdery surfaces.
3. South Wales Variant type socketed axe
Dimensions: surviving length 115.7mm; surviving blade width 55.3mm; width below loop 45.8mm; surviving external mouth dimensions (45.4mm) by 48.1mm; surviving internal mouth dimensions (37.3mm) by 32.7mm; dimensions of runner stubs (1) 7.6 by 3.3mm; height approx. 0.2mm; (2) 7.5 by 3.7mm; height approx. 0.2mm; depth of socket approx. 73.0mm.; surviving weight 376.7g.

This is a near complete socketed axe with a damaged mouth. This is a large socketed axe with an angular hexagonal cross-section, with slightly divergent and concave shaped sides. The axe has a prominent but narrow mouth moulding, with a high placed and narrow loop descending from its underside. Three very prominent and wide ribs descend from the moulding on each face and are convergent. Unusually, the central rib is significantly longer than the two lateral ribs, the former extending down three-quarters of the length of the face and the latter only extending half the length of the blade. The face edges are angled and significantly narrower than the sides and the edges have been deliberately raised, giving the overall effect similar to a faceted axe. The axe has a deep front back mouth axis, the mouth being square in external outline and with a sub-rectangular internal aperture, with curved edges. One half of the mouth top has been broken, the break looking fresh in places, suggesting breakage during removal from the ground. Two runner-stubs are visible around the mouth, located at 180 degrees to each other, but there is insufficient of the mouth surviving to tell whether or not there were originally four runners. The sides of the axe are significantly angled, coming to their widest point at the central casting seam. While the join is prominent and angled, there is little excess and it appears that the flashes may have been hammered flat in places. There are linear striations along the blade facets and parallel with the blade edge, indicating that the axe was sharpened for use. Most of the original surfaces have survived and the axe has a grey-green patina. The mouth edges and blade edge are eroded, with light green and fragile powdery surfaces. There are also small patches of eroded lighter green surface on the faces and external loop edge. The casting seams down the sides of the axe are visible, but were hammered or filed down carefully after casting.
4. Class B - Southern English ribbed axe
Dimensions: surviving length 72.1mm; surviving blade width 39.3mm; width below loop 30.6mm; external mouth dimensions 34.0mm by 32.9mm; internal mouth dimensions 26.4 by 25.2mm; depth of socket approx. 61.0mm; surviving weight 101.7g.

This is a complete small ribbed axe, with divergent and concave shaped sides, expanding towards the blade end. The axe has a flared trumpet shaped mouth, but with no evidence of a collar or collar-moulding. Five parallel ribs descend from the under-side of the flaring mouth, extending for a little under half of the total length of the axe face. The two outer ribs define the face edges of the axe. The axe has a rectangular shaped cross-section and the face edges are sub-angular. The loop is low-set, its upper arm descending some distance below the upper origin of the face ribs. The axe has a deep front back mouth axis, being sub-square in both external shape and internal aperture, with curved edges. No runner-stubs or scars are evident around the mouth. On one blade bevel, the remains of striations running parallel with the blade edge are visible, indicating that the axe was sharpened as preparation for use. One face of the axe has been heavily brushed, probably by the finder after discovery of the axe, as indicated by deep striations and the loss of original surfaces on one face. On the reverse and better preserved face, and on the loop side, patches of black patina are evident, suggesting the axe was deliberately coloured black after casting. The axe has an overall light green patina with fragile and powdery surfaces. The blade edge is heavily eroded and fragile, while the top of the mouth is also lighter green and powdery.
5. Slender faceted axe of Type Meldreth / Class D
Dimensions: surviving length 117.2mm; surviving blade width 43.1mm; width below loop 27.1mm; surviving external mouth dimensions 27.1mm (front to back); surviving internal mouth dimensions 23.2mm (front to back); max. collar width 28.5mm; depth of socket approx. 85.0mm.; surviving weight 148.0g.

This is a near complete, slender and faceted axe, with damaged mouth, missing loop and broken blade edge. The sides are divergent and with a concave curve, widening at the blade end. The axe has a flared or trumpet-shaped mouth, with a wide collar and a low-set and narrow loop, emerging below the collar. The collar is unusually wide with a convex, evenly curved and wide mid zone moulding defined to either side by evenly curved depressions running parallel with the central moulding. The collar is onset, with a step down to the top of the blade faces, but with a raised, flat-topped and wide moulding (2.5mm) defining the lower collar margin. The facets are narrow and the edges are sub-angular, the axe having a total of eight facets (three on each face and one on each side). The side casting seams are visible, however were hammered or filed, except beneath the loop, where a projecting flash is still visible. Approximately half of the mouth of the axe is missing and the break appears eroded, rather than new. The external outline and internal aperture of the mouth are oval in shape. Running down the upper face on one side, linear striations are evident, running parallel with the long axis of the axe. These appear to have been created in antiquity, since they are within the patinated surface. On the upper blade bevel, there are linear striations running parallel with the original blade edge, indicating the axe blade was sharpened ready for use. Most original surfaces of the axe survive and the artefact has a grey-green patina. The blade edge has mostly been removed through breakage. On one corner, the break looks new, exposing core metal, while much of the length of the broken blade has light green and powdery surfaces. One area of lower blade and side is also eroded with similar light green and powdery surfaces, while the loop breaks and parts of the mouth and mouth breaks are also light green and powdery. Within the socket, there are two projecting lumps of green carbonate concretion, about one third of the way down the inner socket wall.
6. Mouth fragment of slender faceted axe of Type Meldreth / Class D
Dimensions: maximum surviving length 41.6mm; collar width 11.0mm; surviving weight 15.9g.

This is a small mouth side fragment of a slender faceted axe, with two broken loop stubs evident. The axe had a modestly flaring mouth, with a medium depth onset collar. It is not clear whether the lower collar margin had a projecting collar moulding, or whether the collar was a simple band, with a concave profile and a step margin onto the upper faces. The narrow loop projected from the underside of the collar. Down the side, a casting seam is visible and appears not to have been trimmed or hammered across the collar. On one side, a narrow facet can be seen extending from the collar down the upper face of the axe and it is likely that this axe once had eight facets (three on each face, with one on each side). On the exterior surface, there are patches of black patination on the collar and within the loop and the interior socket surface is markedly blackened. The rest of the exterior surface has a grey-green patina, with small arear of light green and powdery surface visible on the loop stubs, on the mouth top and in places along the breaks.
Notes: Three of the socketed axes reported may be identified as South Wales Type socketed axes or Variant forms (Nos. 1-3, above). The combination of out-splayed mouth, high placed and ephemeral loop, blocky rectangular form, ribs descending from the underside of the collar and poorly finished state following casting are all diagnostic elements, in combination helping to identify it to this type (e.g. Needham 1981, 31; Northover unpublished, 259-60; Burgess 2012, 239 & Fig. 1). These socketed axes and their Variant forms a frequent and dominating element within Ewart Park hoards of Late Bronze Age date across south-east Wales (e.g. McNeil 1973, Fig. 9; Moore 1978; Savory 1980, 49, 120-2; Needham 1981; Gwilt 2004). Here, around forty hoards now contain at least 150 examples, making it the core area within Britain for their burial within hoards. Approaching fifty single finds of South Wales Type socketed axes have also been discovered in south-east Wales. They are also frequent smaller presences in contemporary hoards across mid and north-east Wales, south western and England, southern England and northern France, with occasional outliers in northern Britain and Ireland (McNeil 1973, 61-4; Moore 1978; Needham 1981, 55-66; Burgess 2012, 241-4 & Fig. 2).

One axe (No. 4, above), may be identified as a Class B - Southern English ribbed axe of a sub-type most resembling Class B2, with five-ribs and a trumpet-shaped mouth (Needham 1990, 32-5 & Fig. 5). These broadly equate with Type Welby ribbed axes of Northern England (Schmidt & Burgess 1981, 221-3, Cats. 1335-55, Pls. 88-9). The apparent absence of a collar or positive moulding on this axe is a variation on the more typical traits of the type and this example is at the smallest end of the known range. Various forms of ribbed axes have been found beside South Wales type axes in around a dozen known hoards of Ewart Park date from south-east Wales.

Two slender faceted axes (Nos. 5 & 6, above) may be identified as of Type Meldreth or Class D faceted axes, which have a variety of sub-types, dependent upon the shape and depth of their collar and mouth shape (Schmidt & Burgess 1981, 204-11; Needham 1990, 41-3; Gwilt et al 2005, 37-8). This type is generally regarded as of British type, although they do occur in Ireland and France (O' Connor 1980, 166-7; Needham 1990, 43; Eogan 2000, 53-62, Cats. 296-392). Nearly all of the known hoard associations containing these axes are securely of Late Bronze Age date and belonging to the Ewart Park phase between 1000-800 BC (e.g. Needham 1990, 43; Eogan 2000, 61), although a few examples have been found in slightly earlier Late Bronze Age hoards dating to 1150-1000 BC (Schmidt & Burgess 1981, 210-1; Needham 1990, 43; Eogan 2001, 61).

Having identified all six socketed axes reported from this immediate localised find-spot, it is apparent that all are securely of Ewart Park date of manufacture, dating to between 1000-800 BC. The account of discovery strongly suggests that the hoard group had remained buried together until the recent past in small pit feature cutting into a protected soil beneath a Medieval to post-Medieval field bank and hedge-line. In recent years, the farmer created a new entrance across this field boundary, by digging out and flattening the boundary in this localised area. This event disturbed the ancient soil beneath the bank, causing the artefacts in the hoard to be scattered over an area of 4m, to either side of the new entrance. Their reported depths of 15-25cm are consistent with having been moved within bank material and redeposited and compacted at moderate depth within the soil levelling activity.



Authors



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



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



Steve Sell - Volunteer Finds Liaison Officer, Formerly Archaeology Project Officer at Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust
Subsequent action: Acquired by museum after being declared Treasure