Late Bronze Age Looped and Socketed Axe

[hammered]

I managed to get out detecting yesterday for just over an hour, the first time in a while due to the weather. The fields in question are new to me and looked promising. As I walked on to the first field I was a bit shocked to see how deep the plough was, you can see in some of the pictures . Anyway, I booted up the XP and was away, buttons and lead straight away, but 20 mins into the search, and over towards the edge of the field I had a good tone and started digging. I quickly uncovered what, at first, looked like a damaged copper or copper alloy pipe. I wiggled it about a bit and suddenly saw it was a bronze axe head.


I pulled it out of the ground carefully and laid it on the surface and took a picture, then just sat there for a while looking at it .


Here is a link to a similar one, but it's date is roughly 500 to 800 BC. http://www.ukdfd.co.uk/ukdfddata/showrecords.php?product=11286&cat=228
I went back to the fields today for a few hours, but it was really hard going so I moved over to a seeded field where the wheat is coming through, and very quickly found an Elizabeth 1st 1580 Sixpence. I mulled around there for a while and found a few more bits and pieces, a few of which I still have to identify. Here are some more pics of the finds and the last 2 days.




The depth of the plough .

The next 2 are the surface find of the Bessy sixpence



A couple more of the deep ploughing.


More pictures coming in a minute

 

[hammered]

Here are the rest of the pics.






Thanks for looking .


hammered

 

[shaun7]

Wow

That axe is the nuts It all is

I think you have a cap badge missing it's bugle.

 

[olroy70]

great!!!!!!!!!!!!

and I live in a place that wasnt settled until after 1880!

is the one a spur rowel

 

[shaun7]

And you found your name

 

[trixie charger]

WOW!!!! Great stuff

Never seen a field plowed that deep Is that field going to be Wheat? if so why so deep?. We plant Wheat 3in deep here.

 

[hammered]

Wow

That axe is the nuts It all is

I think you have a cap badge missing it's bugle.

Cheers mate , I thought it might be part of a cap badge . I'm going back to the wheat field tomorrow .

great!!!!!!!!!!!!

and I live in a place that wasnt settled until after 1880!

is the one a spur rowel

As far as I can tell you are spot on, I'm still trying to date it though .

WOW!!!! Great stuff

Never seen a field plowed that deep Is that field going to be Wheat? if so why so deep?. We plant Wheat 3in deep here.

Thanks tc , that deep ploughing is called "prairie busting" round here. It's done every 3 to 4 years to really break up the soil. The fields will be cross ploughed and then disced and rolled before the new crop is planted. The field backing on to the church will have potatoes but I don't know about the rest.


hammered

 

[MaineRelic]

That is one beautiful old Relic you have found ! Wow ! is all I can say ! MaineRelic

 

[Westfront]

Bronze axe and hammered....much history on this field. Good spent time! What a find....

 

[garryson]

Excellent photos and finds, hammered!!

 

[civilman1]

Awesome dig Hammered I've gotta hunt England just once

 

[Daedalus]

This is Awesome and there are no other words that will work . It would be great if we could find things like this here in the U.S .

You are coming up with some of the best finds lately , so what ever it is that you are doing keep it up!

 

[joeyfresh]

Wow! That axe is beautiful.

 

[HISPAN]

Lucky you! ..... more than a month without going out to hunt and hunt in one hour a Museum piece.
I vote banner ! .. that ax is beautiful and the oldest, it deserves a place above.

 

[artzstuff1]

What awsome relic's !!!!!,,,,BANNER!!!!

 

[gleaner1]

Very nice. Excellent work with both the detector and camera. I feel as if I am there. I certainly wish I were.

 

[crazyjarhead]

I was kind of leaning towards a Banner too. Bronze age axe head? How much better does it get than this?? My vote will be in on this one

 

[nuggy]

Got my banner vote on the bronze axe, beautiful, great find.

The crest on that shield shaped badge should be traceable, looks familiar.

Long may your luck run, Nuggy.

 

[Steve in PA]

Great finds, especially the axe

Unfortunately, most farmers over here have given up the plow for "no till" farming.

 

[HISPAN]

I have to return home immediately, because even hammered exit to hunt more than me.