ARROWHEAD

An incomplete cast copper alloy barbed and tanged arrowhead, dating to the Bronze Age, between 2150 - 800 BC (length: 42mm; width at barbs: 28mm; thickness: 2mm; weight: 7.67g).

The haft end of a flat arrowhead with bevelled blade edges to the left and right on the outside of the barbs, which is also visible on both sides of the artefact. The barbs are both broken but have a surviving length of 5mm (measured at the longest surviving barb), a width of 7mm with a thickness of 2mm. The outside blade edges of the arrowhead slant inwards to taper towards the blade tip, which is no longer present as approximately 20mm of the artefact is now missing. On one side of the arrowhead, the notches between the tang and the barbs are facetted with a recession of 6mm. The slightly incomplete (due to corrosion) sub-rectangular and flat tang, which tapers to a thin rounded point at the tip is 19mm long, 9.5mm wide and 2mm thick, with the outside edges down the length of the tang also slightly bevelled. The arrowhead is in a slightly worn but good condition with a light brown patina, although there are numerous tiny scratches on both sides, which appear to have been done recently, possibly due to cleaning.

An identical example has already been recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database by Dr Helen Geake (SF6680), and was found by metal detecting in Bradfield Combust with Stanningfield in Suffolk. Dr. Geake states that the Suffolk example also has the notches between the tang and the barbs on one side only, which suggests that that the artefact 'may be cast rather than created as a secondary process. If this is the case, the object must have been manufactured as an arrowhead rather than being made as a secondary process from a fragment of another artefact; this makes it extremely rare'. Dr. Geake also states that 'tanged (usually with barbs) copper-alloy arrowheads are known from the late bronze Age in Britain and western Europe, though they are rare'. However, the Suffolk example, according to Dr. Geake, is more in common wit early Bronze Age forms and may be of this date, which at the time of writing the Suffolk record, would make it the only Early Bronze Age example known from Britain, therefore making this example also incredibly rare.

Other examples are also illustrated in Watson, P, J, 1993, 'Catalogue of British and European Prehistoric metalwork in Birmingham City Museums', page 11, ref no 90, found in Britain but with no provenance, as well as page 26, ref nos 328 (found at the Swiss Lakes; no provenance); 329 (found at Lake Neuchatel) and 330 (found at the Swiss Lakes: no provenance).