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Pitt Rivers Museum

1884.119.368

Bronze spear-head with double-loops and a prominent central rib and long socket. [El.B 19/10/2007]


1884.119.368

Digital asset copyright: Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford

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Collection type
Object
Description
Bronze spear-head with double-loops and a prominent central rib and long socket. [El.B 19/10/2007]
Long description
Bronze spear-head with double-loops and a prominent central rib and long socket. [El.B 19/10/2007]
Geographical reference
"Ireland": ie Ireland or Northern Ireland (UK)
Date / Period
Archaeological period: Middle Bronze Age
Date collected
By 1874
Acquisition information
Donated: 1884
Materials and processes
Material Bronze Metal, Process Cast, Process Hammered
Dimensions
Thick: max 24 mm, Width: max 30 mm, Length: max 176 mm, Weight 136 g
Object numbers
Accession number: 1884.119.368 PR Cat other PR nos: 1476 PR Cat other PR nos: 2283
Research and responses

Pitt Rivers was in Ireland [serving in the Army] from 1862-66, this object may have been obtained during this period [Bowden, 1991: 60-4] [AP Leverhulme project on founding collection 1995-1998]

This object was looked at by Jim Lineen PhD (University College Cork) on 24 and 28 August 2015 [NC 28/08/2015]

Associated publications
Published in Allen, I.M., Britton, D., and Coghlan, H.H., 1970, 'Metallurgical Reports on British and Irish Bronze Age Implements in the Pitt Rivers Museum', Occasional Papers on Technology 10, Oxford University Press, Oxford. [CMP 09/08/2010] p 174 - Socketed spear head with loops at base of blade, blade convex in outline, edges have traces of bevel, originally sharpened now partly blunt. Midrib keeled with faint rib on one face extending between loops. Loops continue outline of blade, pointed oval in plan, convex in cross section, traces of casting seams between loops and mouth of socket. Surfaces fairly well preserved, edges of blade and mouth of socket damaged [Drawing][metallographic examination and analysis provided]. - Sn 12.8%, Pb 0.133%, As 0.23%, Sb<0.1%, Ni 0.35%, Bi<0.01%, Fe 0.01%- Confirmed as a bronze [GB 25/5/2005]

Search terms: Weapon, Spear-head