TREASURE ANNU AL REPORT 2005/6 - Portable Antiquities Scheme

220
WALES
A. bRoNzE AGE
1222. Llanmaes, Vale of Glamorgan: middle bronze
Age gold bead and grave group (06.24)
Date: c. 1500–1150 BC
Discovery: Found during an archaeological excavation
and laboratory processing of a human pit cremation
burial. Part of a continuing research fieldwork project
led by Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales
(Treasure Annual Report 2003, no. 404; Treasure Annual
Report 2004, no. 487) in November 2006 (and July
2005).
Description:
1. A small strip of gold, which has been rolled over to
form a cylinder-shaped bead with an oval shaped crosssection.
The ends touch but do not overlap.
Associated artefacts
2–12. Sherds of prehistoric pottery belonging to a
large barrel urn with cordon and perforated wall and a
smaller lugged/knobbed accessory vessel.
13. Everted rim sherd of thick walled prehistoric vessel.
14. Body sherd of prehistoric pottery with oval shaped
impressed decoration.
15–31. Non-diagnostic body sherds and crumb
fragments of prehistoric pottery.
32. Decorated burnt bone bead fragment. Small
cylindrical shape with longitudinal perforation. Exterior
surface is incised with parallel linear grooves.
33–5. Unidentifiable copper-alloy fragments.
36–8. Worked flint: proximal end of burnt blade and
two unburnt flakes.
39. Fragments of fired clay (32).
Discussion: This simple gold bead, while not
chronologically diagnostic, has a composition that is
consistent with other Early and Middle Bronze Age
gold-work in Britain. The pottery sherds (2–12) directly
associated with the cremation are typical of the
Deverel-Rimbury ceramic tradition of southern England
(and allied regional developments), which flourished
between 1500 and 1150 BC. The decorated burnt bone
bead fragment, also discovered in sieving residues, is a
significant and unusual association.
A sample of cremated human bone from the pit
burial was sent to Queen’s University Belfast for
radiocarbon dating, but failed to produce an absolute
date. The cremation pit was cut by (i.e. was earlier
than) a post-hole belonging to a roundhouse. A sample
from one of the post-holes belonging to this building
produced a radiocarbon date of 1383–1129 BC (at
95.4% probability). The positioning of the roundhouse
entrance near and over the cremation pit suggests
a not entirely fortuitous association – the burial
may have been placed just a short time prior to its
construction.
Gold bead: Length: 7.5mm; width: 4.6mm; height:
3.9mm; thickness of sheet: 0.7mm; weight: 1.0g.
Surface analysis conducted at Cardiff University
indicated a gold content of approximately 90%.
Disposition: It is anticipated that the bead and
associated artefacts will be disclaimed and then
donated to the National Museum of Wales as part
of the overall excavation assemblage. The associated
cremated human bone is not treasure and has been
donated to the National Museum of Wales.
A GWILT
1223. Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan:
Late bronze Age hoard (05.15)
Date: c. 950–750 BC
Discovery: Found by Mr P Silva while metal-detecting
(1–15, 17–19) and by follow-up archaeological
excavation (16) in November 2005.
Description:
1. Carp’s Tongue Type sword hilt, with incomplete hilt
tang, bent cross-section. Length: 70.3mm;
weight: 90.0g.
2. Carp’s Tongue sword, narrowing lower blade
fragment with rounded midrib and lateral grooves.
Length: 74.9mm; weight: 86.5g.
3. Saint Nazaire Type sword – blade fragment with
central midrib, emphasised to either side with four
lateral grooves. Length: 95.2mm; weight: 86.2g.
4. Ewart Park Type sword – upper narrow blade
fragment from leaf-shaped blade. Length: 120.1mm;
weight: 112.0g.
5. Sword blade – non-diagnostic, ridged blade fragment.
Length: 7.3mm; weight: 80.6g.
6. Sword blade – non-diagnostic, ridged blade
fragment. Length: 77.1mm; weight: 98.5g.
7. End-winged axe – complete, with slightly damaged
blade edge. Length: 138.8mm; weight: 251.5g.
8. Meldreth Type, Variant Aylsham faceted axe –
complete, though with dented loop and damaged blade
edges. Length: 75.3mm; blade width: 39.1mm;
weight: 108.4g.
9. South Wales Type socketed axe – complete. Length:
94.3mm; blade width: 53.0mm; weight: 267.4g.
10. South Wales Type socketed axe – virtually
complete, with damage to blade edge and loop, slight
impact damage on one lower face. Length: 82.2mm;
blade width: 43.1mm; weight: 162.4g.
11. South Wales Type socketed axe – virtually
complete, with small part of upper wall/mouth absent.
Length: 101.9mm; blade width: 49.2mm;
weight: 260.6g.
12. South Wales Type socketed axe – 90% fragment,
incomplete casting, damaged blade edge. Length:
111.2mm; blade width: 47.4mm; weight: 229.4g.
13. South Wales Type socketed axe – 95% fragment.
Miscast, with damaged blade edges. Length: 63.1mm;
blade width: 37.5mm; weight: 74.7g.
14. South Wales Type socketed axe-fragment. Length:
65.5mm; weight: 112.4g.
15. South Wales Type socketed axe mouth fragment.
Length: 60.6mm; weight: 109.4g.
16. Socketed axe – unidentifiable to type – small blade
end fragment, found during archaeological investigation
of findspot. Length: 29.0mm; blade width: 16.0mm;
weight: 26.2g.
17. Two-runner casting jet, complete, possibly for
sword or spearhead. Depth: 26.8mm; diameter: 38.3 x
40.4mm; weight: 104.7g.
18. Copper-alloy cake – complete. Length: 107.3mm;
width: 76.9mm; thickness: 14.4mm; weight: 340.1g.
19. Copper-alloy cake fragment. Length: 62.8mm;
width: 39.6mm; thickness: 13.6mm; weight: 107.8g.
Discussion: This hoard was buried during the
Ewart Park phase of the Late Bronze Age and dates
to between 950 and 750 BC. The combination of
chronologically diagnostic artefacts (i.e. sword and
axe types) is paralleled by many identical associations
within hoards of this period elsewhere in Wales and
southern England. The Saint Nazaire Type sword
fragment is slightly earlier in manufacture and belongs
to the Wilburton and Blackmoor phases of the Late
Bronze Age between 1150 and 920 BC. It was probably
an old scrap item, circulating for a long period before
eventual burial in direct association with the other
artefacts in the hoard. Two sword blade fragments (nos.
5 & 6), with markedly ridged blades, may also be of a
similar earlier date, though are not identifiable with
certainty to type.
Ribbed South Wales Type socketed axes, such as the
seven examples in this hoard, are typical and dominant
components within Late Bronze Age hoards in southeast
Wales, where over 30 hoards now contain at least
140 examples. The Carp’s Tongue and Saint Nazaire
sword fragments, together with the end-winged axe,
indicate the exchange and circulation of metalwork
from south-east England, and northern and western
France into this part of Wales.
Disposition: National Museum of Wales.
A GWILT
b. IRoN AGE
1224. boverton, Vale of Glamorgan:
Iron Age collar and bracelets (05.10)
Date: c. AD 50–75
Discovery: Found by Mr B Gibbison and Mr A C
Pearce while metal-detecting (1–2) and by follow-up
archaeological excavation (3) in July and August 2005.
Description:
1. Cast bronze collar in two halves, one side broken
near its mid-point after burial. The collar has a flat front
segment, though turns through 90 degrees to form a
vertical rear segment. The outer faces of these front
and back segments were recessed and had four highly
polished metal plates riveted onto them. The two collar
halves were held together by a sturdy hinge in the
middle of the back face. The front join of the collar is a
WALES WALES 221