Gavel Moss Revisited...

[endlessrarities]

Time for an update on the Gavel Moss hoard.  The timing's appropriate -  it was nice to include a visit to the Maich Water on yesterday's itinerary - the Maich Water being a seemingly insignificant watercourse which formed a focus nonetheless for votive deposition in the Early Bronze Age. 

Hopefully you'll remember the dagger, the first object that I tackled, and arguably the most imposing object in the hoard.  Next on the list is one of the two bronze axes that were included in the hoard.

This is the smaller of the two:-

 

You might be forgiven for thinking that this represents a flanged axe, but in fact it's a 'developed flat axe'.  It dates to the closing stages of the Early Bronze Age and is roughly contemporary with Stonehenge in its fully developed, 'mature' phase.

A few of these developed flat axes are decorated - this suggests that the object was never intended to be hafted or used, as the haft would have covered up a significant part of the decoration.  What I like in particular about this one is the decoration along the edge - a series of hammermarks which must be ornamental...

It's proving a lot less trouble to draw than the dagger - I managed to finish off one of the drawings in about an hour.  But because I'm out on site so much just now, it'll be a while before the final drawings are completed.

Comments

[red-trillium.livejournal.com]

This is an intricate and amazing drawing. I am in awe of your skills!

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

It's a skill I was lucky to acquire and I hang onto jealously, though unfortunately it's probably going to become a dying art in the field of commercial archaeology. More and more companies are turning to computerised drawing packages...

[red-trillium.livejournal.com]

Hang onto the skill. Even with companies turning to computers, there will always be times when the non-computer skill will be needed. Especially when computers crash, the field might not be conducive to using them, or ????

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Thankfully, it's something I really enjoy doing. I find it quite theraputic - that particular drawing was done during teabreaks and lunchtimes at work...