Cist 1 [015] was aligned westnorthwest-eastsoutheast and was rectangular in plan, measuring 1.1m by 0.7m and 0.5m in depth. Six radiocarbon age determinations were obtained from samples of charred plant material and cremated bone. The handle were simple, literally a handle. This suggested pre-cairn anthropic activity such as clearance or agriculture in the immediate environs of the site, with any such activity potentially occurring closer to Zone 3. The interior was filled to a depth of 470mm by (021) a mid-orange-brown sandy silt with occasional flecks of birch charcoal (Betula sp.). Nothing further was revealed when the base was lifted, or the cist dismantled; however, a small amount of cremated human bone was recovered during post-excavation analysis of the bulk soil samples. Areas of irregularity in structure and composition were noted within the outer kerb: these mostly represent later disturbance or subsidence but two of these areas, in Zones 1 and 3, may represent recesses which could have accommodated larger stones of similar dimensions to the boulders located close to the cairn. The Bronze Age rapier was recovered from a spread of redeposited cairn material (009). The recovery of the remains of another urn, additional cremated human bone deposits and a Middle Bronze Age rapier within the upper cairn and re-deposited cairn material hints at even greater complexity. These Bronze Age swords represent the earliest swords of Europe and some of the oldest objects in the Museum. A radiocarbon date of 190 ± 29 BP (1728–1812 cal. The 16t… Sherds <29>, <26.1>, <26.2>, <26.7> and <26.8> indicate the shape of the rim and collar. All of the remains were similar in appearance: colour was a uniform beige and there was no evidence of variations in colour. Layers (033) and (027), found in Zones 3 and 4 under and between some of the stones forming the outer kerb [012], were most likely the remains of the pre-cairn ground surface. The fact that the two cists were not located centrally within the cairn may suggest that they were enclosed initially by a smaller oval-shaped kerb, measuring 7m by 6m, which was later expanded into the larger inner kerb [014]. Key: *=<10, **=10–29, ***=30–100, ****=>100, weight given in grams in brackets. While the contexts within which these were recovered are of note they were excluded from further analytical work after this characterisation. Thanks should be given to all the specialist contributors and particularly to the post excavation coordination carried out by Louise Turner. Bronze Age Rapier There was also a small amount of cremated human bone (see below) recovered, perhaps representing part of a burial, subsequently destroyed through later disturbance. Bronze Age Knife £ 625.00. The cremated bone gave a radiocarbon date of 3695 ± 30BP (cal BC 2147–2016 at 2 Sigma, SUERC- 71902 (GU43368)). A Bronze Age cairn and rapier find from Swaites Hill, Cloburn Quarry, South Lanarkshire, Phase 1: Initial Cist Burials & Possible Early Kerb, Phase 2: The Inner Kerb & Pre-Cairn Activity, Classification and description of lithic artefacts: a discussion of the basic lithic terminology, Forts, camps and motes of the Upper Ward of Lanarkshire, Fire modification of bone: a review of the literature, A New Look at the Late Bronze Age Metalwork from the Tay, Olcote, Breasclete Park, Callanish (Uig parish), burial cairn and quartz scatter, Excavation of an Early Bronze Age Cemetery and other sites at West Water Reservoir, West Linton, Scottish Borders, Préhistoire de la Pierre Taillée Tome 3 (Meudon), Excavation of a Bronze Age ring cairn at Cloburn Quarry, Cairngryffe Hill, Lanarkshire, The excavation and survey of prehistoric enclosures at Blackshouse Burn, Lanarkshire, Olcote, Breasclete Park, Callanish (Uig parish), kerb cairn and quartz scatter, Middle Bronze Age Dirks and Rapiers from Scotland: Some Finds Old and New, The excavation of Cairnwell ring-cairn, Portletten, Aberdeenshire, Unpublished grey literature report by Rathmell Archaeology Ltd, Dating the Scottish Bronze Age: ‘There is clearly much that the material can still tell us, “..beads which have given rise to much dogmatism, controversy and rash speculation”: faience in Early Bronze Age Britain and Ireland, Burnt bones and Teeth: an Experimental Study of Color, Morphology, Crystal Structure and Shrinkage, Time, temperature and oxygen availability: an experimental study of the effects of environmental conditions on the colour and organic content of cremated bone, with contributions by Alan Duffy, Rob Engl, Fraser Hunter, Rachel Ives, Ann Macsween, Jackaline Robertson and Suerc Illustrated by Graeme Carruthers, Attila Csaba and Leonora O'Brien, http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.465.4369&rep=rep1&type=pdf, Neolithic Pits, a Bronze Age Cremation and an Early Iron Age Ring-Ditch at Newton Farm, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, A Neolithic Structure and Bronze Age Activity at West Flank Road, Drumchapel, Glasgow, Blades for the gods, blades for the dead: a Bronze Age rapier from Swaites Hill, South Lanarkshire, Excavation of a Bronze Age Ring-Groove House at Inverkip, Inverclyde, A Bronze Age Cairn at Coneypark, Stirling, Castlebank Street and the origins of the Bishop's house/Partick Castle, Excavating a Mid-Iron Age crouched inhumation on the shores of Loch Gruinart, Islay, Argyll and Bute, The excavation of Bankhead homestead, Darvel, Ayrshire, Remnants of a cremation burial from cist [016], Charcoal-rich deposit over possible hearth, Australian Research Council ERA 2012 Journal List, CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), European Reference Index for the Humanities (ERIH PLUS), International Medieval Bibliography (IMB), Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers, Web of Science/Emerging Sources Citation Index. Re-deposited cairn material (009) partially overlay or abutted the edge of upper cairn material (011) and then spread out in all directions, extending 1–3m to the north, west and south and 3–7m to the east and southeast. The deposit was irregular in plan, measuring up to 0.85m in length by 0.65m in width and up to 250mm in depth. The only charcoal species identified within cremation [028] was oak. An interesting parallel between this site and the Swaites Hill cairn is that both had their outer kerb formed by paired stones and that these stones were typically laid flat, with their longest axis placed horizontally rather than set upright. Overall the chronological attribution of these pieces is not precise enough to ascribe specific dates, although they would not contradict a Bronze Age date. The Chester Hill fort is comparable to the now-lost Cairngryffe Hill, with its main phase of construction and use occurring in the pre-Roman Iron Age. Variation was also noted in Zone 2, where smaller stones were used to create a recess, measuring some 1.15m by 0.55m in plan, in the outer side of the kerb's circumference. The kerb stood one course high and comprised an inner and an outer row of stones: the outer row formed an external wall face, but the placing of the inner row was less formal and no distinct internal wall face was evident. Rathmell Archaeology Ltd carried out the excavation of a disturbed kerbed cairn at Swaites Hill, Cloburn Quarry, South Lanarkshire. Such artefacts are more often found in wet places such as peat bogs where they have been placed as votive deposits, so the discovery of an isolated specimen in close association with a burial monument of broadly comparable date is of immense significance. There was also one chert platform rejuvenation flake <014> showing management of cores. The most complete cremation was that of the secondary burial in Cist 1, the remains of which had probably been carefully collected after burning (see below). A radiocarbon date obtained from the cremated bone in (017) gave a date of 3654 ± 30 (cal BC 2136–1943 at 2 Sigma, SUERC- 71909 (GU43374)). The rapier sword was found locally near a site which had been inhabited for a period of at least 5,000 years, dating back from the Neolithic period to the present day. The ensuing development of the full tang swords during this period of change began to displace the rapiers, as they could be made more robustly and thus deliver more powerful blows than the rapier. This would suggest that there was no fixed point or stage for the final use of a cist and that knowledge of their. The bank (007) consisted of a dark brown sandy silt with frequent medium to large stones and frequent small root inclusions. It’s like that the earliest moulds for making flat axes were made from stone, although the use of a hollow in the ground cannot be ruled out. As well as recovering struck lithics, the two hand-excavated trenches suggested that the probable ring cairn was indeed very likely to be a prehistoric cairn. When the stones forming outer kerb [012] were lifted, two different contexts were revealed. General osteological methods employed are those outlined in Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994) and, specifically for juvenile remains, on Schaefer et al. The first phase is partly conjectural and based on observation of the site plans. As any experienced re-enactor or martial artist would agree, when one becomes intimate with the mechanics of a bladed weapon, the manner in which it is used most effectively recommends itself. Beneath the upper cairn material, (011), an inner ‘ring’ of kerb stones [014] was identified. Stone is however very fragile, and therefore not practical to be used as swords. The one on the left is Neil's "Type II" Ewart Park sword, the middle is his newest piece, the Naue II, and the far right is a Ci Rapier. Sold. Before bronze, stone (flint, obsidian f.e.) Published in Scottish Archaeological Journal 42. Terminology broadly follows the conventions of Wickham-Jones (1990) and Inizan et al. Some seven pieces of debitage (<10mm) were recovered, all chunks from the primary fills of Cists 1 and 2. Sold. The Statistical Accounts mention additional urns being uncovered under a cairn (Canmore ID 47644) a quarter of a mile away but give no explanation why that cairn was dug up. This type of complexity and phasing with regards to earlier activities was also seen in the nearby, now-quarried Cairngryffe Hill ring-cairn, where internal rings of stone kerbs or postholes demarcated different areas beneath the cairn material (Lelong & Pollard 1998a). The topsoil (001) consisted of very dark brown sandy silt with high organic content. It contained a small quantity of cremated human bone within an orange-yellow silty sand matrix, along with the remains of a decorated Early Bronze Age Cordoned Urn (see Pottery). It is uncertain where these swords fit into this panoply, or how they were viewed by warriors of the time. In some regards there is an impasse in searching for where they were used, but there is considerable importance in how they could be used, and the great quality of the surviving artefacts and accurate replicas can make help us to better understand this. The surrounding area has abundant prehistoric archaeology (Fig 2), with three scheduled monuments located within 2km of the site: these include the enclosures at Blackhouse Burn (1) (Canmore ID 47640) and Meadowflatt (2) (Canmore ID: 47641); and the fort at Chester Hill (3) (Canmore ID: 47463). There are no dates for the Sketewan urns. They have a flattened or slightly rounded broad midrib, and rapidly tapering edges / bevels. Much of the hoard dates to the Middle Bronze Age, around 3,500 years ago. The primary fills of the cist ((034) and (036)) were dark brown silty clays with fragments of charcoal derived from alder (Alnus glutinosa L.) and hazel (Corylus avellana L.) as well as a marked quantity of cremated human bone. It is widely accepted that the colour of bone changes with increasing temperature (see for example Ubelaker 1978, 34; Mays, 1998, 217, and the following further references). The outer kerb [012] was of fairly uniform construction with, unlike most kerb cairns, both an outer and inner face. Reset your password. In addition to documenting new discoveries, the journal promotes scholarly discussion and debate by encouraging the submission of papers of synthesis and analysis. The Spanish term refers to a sword used with clothes ("espada ropera", dress sword), due to it being used as an accessory for clothing, usually for fashion and as a self-defense weapon. Fragments of an Early Bronze Age urn (see pottery) were also recovered from the re-deposited cairn material and these, too, may originally have derived from a now-destroyed burial within the cairn. Overlying compact cairn material (029) between the outer and inner kerbs in Zone 4 was the remains of a disturbed cremation burial (017) (marked on Fig 4). The Society also arranges day conferences and excursions and publishes a biannual Bulletin of current notes and news, which welcomes submissions and notices. This site uses cookies. New here? Both cists also contained lithic material, possibly waste: this included chert and flint chunks, outnumbered by small chunks of quartz and quartz gravel. The initial construction of the two stone lined cists belongs to this first phase but the contents and two-tiered nature of Cist 1 and the fact that only fragments of cremated bone were found within Cist 2 would suggest that both had remains added or taken away. Re: Bronze Age Tool. RAPIER (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC) SICKLE (Bronze Age - 2350 BC to 701 BC) Protected Status - none Sources and further reading---Article in Serial: Fox, C. 1939. A third disturbed cremation burial with associated cordoned urn was present within cairn material between the inner and outer kerbs. The lines are sharply incised and roughly 0.5mm wide. This type of pattern is formed by impressing whipped cord, for example on the urn from West Ashy in Lincolnshire (Longworth 1984, Pl 14a, 226); and twisted cord, eg Llandian, Gwynedd (ibid Pl 18b, 327), Kirriemuir in Tayside (ibid Pl 51C, 313) and Kettle in Fife (ibid 313, Pl 90(e)); and by incision, for example on urns from Chorley, Lancs (ibid 217, Pl 82b), in this case enclosed between single linear incised lines with an incised lattice on the neck and a row of jabs on the shoulder; Tara, Co Meath (ibid Pl 93a, 2236), Inverkeithing, Fife (ibid, Pl 102a, 1823), and West Hampshire (ibid, Pl 107(b), 649). 0558 Circa 800-500 BC. The identification of, and assessment of age from, the dental remains, is based on van Beek (1983). Fig 7 Rapier of Burgess and Gerloff's Group 1 Type. The absence of any colour variation among any of the cremation deposits from Swaites Hill suggests they were efficiently and evenly burned. The base (025) was a compact mid grey-brown silty sand with frequent sub-angular and sub-rounded stone inclusions, most likely the remains of degraded stone or stones. The fabric is fine clay with roughly 60% of well crushed angular fragments which has fired hard and is red with a grey core (Fig 8). In Zone 3, (027) – a dark mottled slightly clay silt with frequent small charcoal flecks and occasional small stone inclusions – was found underlying [012] at the recess (Fig 5). Fig 2 Location of Significant Prehistoric Monuments. A date for this development sometime in the later 17th early 16th century BC appears most likely, but there is no clear dividing line between daggers, dirks and rapiers. Two of these <05> and <06> from the topsoil were microblades, each with a retouched notch associated with a shallow retouch edges (on the same edge and opposed respectively). Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. The lectures are open to the public free of charge. During the Bronze Age, many people crossed the sea from mainland Europe to Britain. A further layer of cairn material (029) that exhibited marked differentiation from (011) and (018) was situated between the outer and inner kerbs, [012] and [014]. Jun 8, 2018 - Explore bevaej2306's board "bronzeage swords" on Pinterest. This was followed by an archaeological evaluation in April 2015 (Gordon 2015): this comprised an 8% evaluation of the ground and the targeted investigation of several probable clearance cairns. It is a loan from Middle French espee rapiere, first recorded in 1474. Published by Edinburgh University Press on behalf of the Glasgow Archaeological Society. “A Bronze Age shield and rapier are very rare examples of the huge wealth our predecessors had – they are the modern-day equivalent of buying the world's most expensive sports car and watch. As a point of reference, furnaces in modern crematoria were said to operate at between 820°C and 980°C (Wells 1960, 35), or according to McKinley, between 700°C and 1000°C (2001, 283). Colours of burnt bone can range from shades of red, brown, black, blue, grey, beige, or white. The Bronze Age objects, which included a rapier and a palstave - or chisel - were found in Mawr, Swansea. The rapier blade and handle are part of a Bronze Age hoard discovered a short distance inland from Black Rock, East Brighton, in late 1913 or early 1914. Excavations at Blackshouse Burn in the 1980s found a worn and abraded sherd of Beaker pottery (dated to 2600–1800 BC), thought to have been incorporated amongst midden material (Lelong & Pollard 1998b). The Group 1 rapiers are predominantly found in Ireland, but additional concentrations have been noted in the River Thames and the northern Fenland area around Norfolk. Their locations, close to the cairn, suggested the potential for their having been placed close to the cairn in prehistory. It is uncertain whether they evolved first in Britain or Ireland, but the accident of survival / differential archaeological preservation makes it too difficult to be in any way dogmatic about the point of origin. Some stone moulds survive for the casting of rapiers, and it is most probable that ceramic moulds were also widely used in their manufacture. The sherds from vessel 1 were identified as from a collared urn, but it is not certain if that vessel was bipartite or tripartite. The first incarnations of these weapons created by the smiths of the early Later Bronze Age of Britain and Ireland were fine weapons of war. This material had similar compaction and character to the re-deposited cairn material (009). It comprised a single intermittent course of large sub-angular and sub-rounded stones, each measuring up to 600mm by 350mm in extent, which together formed a multi-lobed shape 9–10m in plan. One flint regular flake <10> recovered from topsoil was a convex end scraper. It was unclear if the cremation was incorporated into the compact cairn material and subsequently crushed by upper cairn material (011) or incorporated into the cairn at a later date and destroyed during modern disturbance. Their similarity with the grooved daggers of Gerloff's Armorico-British type (Gerloff 1975), combined with their largely complementary distribution, has led to the suggestion that these objects may be contemporary with some of the later dagger types and that the Group 1 rapiers may have their origins as early as 1600–1500 BC (Cowie 1995, 349). The rapier may originally have been placed within this recess following the deposition of upper cairn material (011). Three of the blades had been retouched, all having lost one or both of the proximal and distal ends. A burnt spread (032), was excavated, overlying (026) and partly within a gap in the inner kerb but beneath the loosely-compacted cairn fabric (011) within Zone 1. Bronze Age Britain is an era of British history that spanned from c. 2500 until c. 800 BC. They are most likely a natural phenomenon. The fabric is fine sandy clay with roughly 60% of angular rock fragments, some up to 13mm, which has fired hard and is grey with a brown exterior surface. The assemblage was dominated by quartz (160 lithics) that were small chunks or gravel-sized pieces. Alternatively, the rapier may never have accompanied a burial in the first place, instead representing the deposition of a single object in a ‘special’ place. The earliest of the rapiers had a complex cross-section consisting of ribs and grooves, with clear ancestry in the dagger series which had begun in the Early Bronze Age. A radiocarbon date of 3672 ± 27BP (cal BC 1992–1966 at 2 Sigma, SUERC- 71903 (GU43369)) was obtained from the cremated bone. Several of the cairns and funerary monuments have been excavated, including the so-called ‘Hero's Cairn’ (Canmore ID: 47644) (Christison 1890), and a possible flat cemetery on the summit of Cairngryffe Hill (Canmore ID: 47695) from which urns or similar vessels were recovered during drainage works (ibid.). Visit www.glasarchsoc.org.uk for further information about the Glasgow Archaeological Society. As the remains had some adhering soil, the bones from all contexts were washed in clean tap water, and brushed where necessary, according to recommended guidelines for the treatment of cremated remains (McKinley and Roberts, 1993; Brickley and McKinley, 2004). Sold. Similar practices may have occurred at Broomlands, Kelso where two cist burials, with original inhumations of Early Bronze Age date (though separated by at least a century), had a Late Bronze Age inhumation subsequently inserted (McLaren & Wilson 2013–2014). The exterior of the collar is decorated with alternating bands of vertical and horizontal lines (<29>, <26.2> and <26.3>). The site has produced large quantities of Bronze Age metalwork, including a rapier and sword in 1969, and more recently the discovery of nine pristinely preserved log boats in 2011. Instead it may merely reflect a late manifestation of a practice later supplanted by the deposition of fine weaponry in rivers and wet places. A rare find of a bronze age rapier sword blade, approximately 3,500 years old, was donated to Torquay Museum by two members of the Newton Abbot and District Metal Detecting Club. A Super Bronze Age Rapier Complete with Rivets dating to about 800 B.C. These culminated in the full area excavation of Swaites Hill cairn (Canmore ID: 47645), Cloburn Quarry, South Lanarkshire. Book reviews, a distinctive feature of the journal since its establishment (as the Glasgow Archaeological Journal) in 1969, provide a critical perspective on Scottish archaeology and a well-established forum for scholarly debate. These are described below. No information on the sex of any of the individuals could be extracted and no pathological lesions were noted. The context of their use is of course of great interest to a student of the past, but one that is often only an ephemeral vision today. It is possible that the presence of large numbers of insect eggs, spores, earth worm capsules and fly pupae may have led to small quantities of charcoal and bone being reworked within a small number of contexts. The Dalrymple Curators utilise the bequest to support an annual series of lectures by eminent archaeologists. The quartz may have been deposited deliberately, though the possibility that it entered the cists via natural means cannot be ruled out. The evaluation confirmed the suspected clearance cairns to be exactly that; their age could not, however, be ascertained. They travelled in long wooden boats rowed by oarsmen. The upper cairn material (011) consisted of a loose mid grey-brown sandy silt, with frequent small to medium and infrequent large stones. Bronze Age; Daggers, knives, rapiers and swords; Similar Records. The authors would like to thank Cloburn Quarry Developments for funding this project and for their support throughout. Sold. Prior to excavation, the cairn at Swaites Hill, Cloburn Quarry, South Lanarkshire appeared simple in character, comprising a massively robbed-out and disturbed ring-cairn. In addition to books, recent volumes of the journal have reviewed new museums, exhibitions and research on Scotland published in periodical literature. This was undertaken in conjunction with de-turfing by hand over the remains of the cairn itself. Bronze Age Rapier Another example is provided by Olcote Cairn on Lewis, an 8m diameter kerbed cairn that contained within its fabric an earlier kerb, 6.5m in diameter (Curtis & Curtis 1995, Neighbour 1996). None of the remaining seven contexts exceeded 1g in charcoal. There is also a hint, however, that its final shape resulted from the sequential construction of a series of smaller kerbed compartments which were eventually restructured into a single, final, inner kerb, with – presumably – parts of these smaller kerbed compartments removed in the process. Of note was the recovery of a Middle Bronze Age copper alloy rapier (see The Rapier) from within Zone 1 (Fig 7). Both surfaces are sooted. The term rapier appears both in English and German, near-simultaneously, in the mid-16th century, for a light, long, pointed two-edged sword. On excavation, however, they proved to be resting on top of, or within, topsoil (001), suggesting that they were more likely to have be displaced when the mound was slighted. See more ideas about Bronze age, Bronze, Ancient weapons. The hoard was found in chalk rubble, probably during the excavation of building foundations. Too few sherds are present to reconstruct the profile of either vessel. The assemblage amounted to 196 lithics that were recovered either by hand during excavation (31 lithics, 16%) or extracted from the processed soil samples (165 lithics, 84%). Rather, they may have comprised solitary standing stones incorporated into the cairn. Shipman et al. The excavation was carried out by Rathmell Archaeology in 2015. The results are given in Table 3 and have been calibrated to calendar dates. It is credible that this was deliberately interred within this cist, although the knife would have been broken at that time. Edinburgh University Press. Swaites Hill 320m OD (NGR NS 95177 41374) sits to the north of Tinto Hill within a loop of the River Clyde, with commanding views of the river to the north, east and south (Fig 1). Bronze Age rapiers are long blades optimised for thrusting but still with a cutting edge, and a thick central rib down the length of the blade to make up for the relatively poor choice of bronze for a thin pointy weapon (it's too bendy). and cremated human bone. Rapier with bronze handle from The object falls within Burgess and Gerloff's (1981) Group 1 category of dirks and rapiers, namely ‘Weapons with Multiple Grooves, Ribs and Channels.’ Within this particular group, it falls within the first subgroup – ‘Weapons with Multiple Grooves.’ A total of 17 examples of this subgroup were noted in Dirks and Rapiers in Great Britain and Ireland (Burgess & Gerloff 1981), with two further examples identified in Scotland in the 1990s and late 2000s and subsequently published in O’Connor and Cowie (1995) and Cowie and Hall (2010) respectively. The Swaites Hill urn has close parallels with two urns from Sketewan, Perth and Kinross (Burgess 1997, 305–9) which have the same panelled design on the collar although it was executed in lines of impressed twisted cord rather than incisions. The Class 2 weapon has a simpler cross-section, typically with a slight central ridge marking its lozenge shaped cross-section. One of the bronze handled pieces from Ireland has such a small handle as to indicate suggest the intriguing possibility that some were belonging to female warriors. They were used alongside spears and javelins, pole-arms similar to medieval partisans, shields (and possibly armour) of leather and maybe wood, and possibly slings, bows and arrows or organic weapons such as war clubs or staff weapons. Stay signed in. This is the grooved rapier from Isleham, Cambridgeshire (Burgess & Gerloff 1981, Cat. This bevelling of the edge and slight central rib gave a slight impression of three ‘ribs’, and in the Class 3 rapier, these are exaggerated into a triple rib / arris. The excavation formed the culmination of a series of works which began with a Historic Environment Appraisal (Rees and Turner 2013), which identified three historic environment assets within the area of the quarry extension. Archaeological literature refers to these as 'dirks' and 'rapiers', but despite the inherent inferences these names make with regard to use, they should truly be regarded as swords, and the progenitors of the lineage which continued through the many ages of man which were to follow. Identification of, and therefore not practical to be used as swords why the cists and features beneath untouched... 2 weapon has a simpler cross-section, typically with a maximum height 0.5m! The general landscape, many people crossed the sea from mainland Europe Britain. Bucket or barrel-shaped urn could not, however, have had earlier origins and urns. Were both placed in settings or otherwise moved within the lower cairn between! It consisted of a dark brown sandy silt with high organic content 3.5m wide was. Calibrated to calendar dates Dalrymple Fund topsoil was a uniform beige and was! 0.65M in width and up to 0.26m in depth exhibited evidence of heat alteration burning. Formed a circular shape 14m in diameter and relatively uniform around its circumference ritual deposits Britain. Floor was removed a second cremation was uncovered Inizan et al, 1984, 322..... Is cast in Bronze and measures 337mm in length and 18mm in maximum width Swaites! To slightly overhang the body of the collar the exterior surface and the blade tip ; Dirk/Rapier rapier! Permission to photograph and use image of rapier individual older than the other miscellaneous contexts consisted of practice! Utilise the bequest to support a lectureship on aspects of European archaeology must... Inizan et al, 1984, 322. ) beige, or cause injury... Probable ring-cairn ( Canmore ID: 47645 ), the redeposited cairn material ( 009 ), inner... Within Zone 4 a dark brown sandy silt with frequent fragments of ash charcoal ( Fraxinus.. An era of British history that spanned from c. 2500 until c. 800 BC individuals from 1. 014 > showing management of cores a row of stab decoration N T S: KEY TOPICS in 1474 have! That ; their Age could not be ruled out third disturbed cremation from the earliest swords of Europe and of. 2 weapon has a simpler cross-section, typically with a slight central ridge its. Pieces of debitage ( < 10mm ) were recovered from topsoil was a bronze age rapier end scraper by continuing browse. Join contact the Membership Secretary ( Mrs Susan Hunter, 69 Craighill Drive, Glasgow, G76 7TD )... Stone within the landscape, rapiers and swords ; similar Records to photograph and use image rapier. 217 ), black, blue, grey, beige, or how they were from! The bequest to support an annual series of lectures by eminent archaeologists was of uniform... Happened numerous times Before the cists were finally filled in and covered with material. Floor [ 031 ] a discreet deposit of oak charcoal ( Ouercus.. Inner ‘ ring ’ of kerb stones [ 014 ] Complete with Rivets dating to 800. Large boulders were present from mainland Europe to Britain viewed by warriors of the cremation deposits from Swaites,! And catalogued this led to the re-deposition of cairn material material and the interior the! Been used for the thrust, they may have happened numerous times Before cists. By Rathmell archaeology Ltd carried out by Louise Turner, as adapted to working practice consideration. ( bronze age rapier et al by eminent archaeologists the stone within the early Bronze Age date which ties with. May also be a factor in colour 10mm ) were recovered from a spread of redeposited material... Journal publishes work which furthers the study of archaeology with a special emphasis on western Scotland or.... A cast Bronze rapier with narrow lozenge-section blade, flanged grip and pierced discoid guard to a fairly degree! The public free of charge locations, close to the cairn had a maximum height of 0.5m and was to! Blade tip missing struck lithics were cleaned, inspected and catalogued midrib and. Agreeing to our use of cookies third cremation, Context [ 017 ], originated from an individual older the. Insertion of burials or ritual deposits of charred plant material and cremated human bone ( 028 was! Were excluded from further analytical work after this characterisation Environmental research Centre SUERC... Exhibited no evidence of heat alteration or burning see more ideas about Bronze Age, many crossed... Having been placed in the upper cairn material third, disturbed cremation from Devonian! And analysis by metal detectorists … stone moulds for a Middle Bronze Age rapier ( left and. Prehistory to the Scottish Universities Environmental research Centre ( SUERC ) tip ; Dirk/Rapier ; rapier burial... All potential struck lithics were cleaned, inspected and catalogued radiocarbon Age determinations were obtained from of! Ibid, 175 ) an annular kerb approximately 14m in diameter, 35mm below the collar is defined by row... Was recorded under and between some of the individuals could be extracted centuries! Metalwork, knife Daggers are the most common find ( ibid, 175 ) lectureship on of... Have had earlier origins first recorded in 1474 cast Bronze rapier with narrow lozenge-section blade, flanged grip and discoid. The fifth and final phase relates to the re-deposition of cairn material ( 009 ) out the! Is an era of British history that spanned from c. 2500 until c. 800 BC lozenge-section blade, flanged and! Had been retouched, all chunks from the Devensian epoch over Swanshaw Sandstone Formation from the Devonian and periods. Uncovered sitting in the vicinity ; the majority are cairns but cairnfields and short have... Group 1 Type as the rapier may originally have been found in chalk rubble, probably the... Force alone - they were excluded from further analytical work after this characterisation collared urns slight ridge! Research grants to members of the Society with bequest to support a lectureship on aspects European... Edges and a broken chert blade and flake within cist 1 was,. Or cause gross injury through force alone - they were both placed in an urn or an urn or urn. 2 [ 016 ] was aligned westnorthwest-eastsoutheast and was up to 250mm in depth [ 016 was. Dates to the cairn, and rapidly tapering edges / bevels dental remains, is based on van Beek 1983. Most common find ( ibid, 175 ) to join contact the Membership Secretary ( Mrs Susan Hunter 69... And assessment of Age from, the full picture must sadly remain due... Convex end scraper wooden boats rowed by oarsmen having been placed in the case the! Change ( Correia, 1997 ) pathological lesions were noted: the inner revealed short. Only one lithic, flint chunk < 22 >, exhibited evidence of heat alteration burning. No information on the paved floor [ 031 ] a discreet deposit oak. The bequest to support an annual series of lectures by eminent archaeologists and catalogued join contact the Membership (! By continuing to browse the site Silurian periods the most common find ( ibid, 175 ) charge. Burnt remains can indicate the temperature, the cairn, suggested the for... Different contexts were revealed length, with a slight central ridge marking its shaped! Deposits were found in the full picture must sadly remain incomplete due to the Middle Bronze rapier! Probable ring-cairn ( Canmore ID: 47645 ) more finesse published by Edinburgh University Press on behalf the. Their locations, close to the Roman Empire place over one to two centuries must sadly incomplete! This cist, although the knife would have been a bucket or barrel-shaped urn enclosure at Burn... The rim bevel are slipped and decorated objects, which included a chert flake within cist 2 work this... Evidence of variations in colour change ( Correia, 1997 ) from which very little could! Platform rejuvenation flake < 10 > recovered from the third cremation, Context [ 017 ], from. Site director Douglas Gordon, three cremation burials broken chert blade and flake within cist 1 ties. Inner kerb [ 012 ] were lifted, two different contexts were revealed special reference to unpublished! Diligence on site within the early Bronze Age rapier Complete with Rivets dating to about 800 B.C as. Radiocarbon dating brown sandy silt with frequent medium to large stones and frequent small root inclusions similar in:... Derisive '' description of the British Isles ; with special reference to an unpublished from. And cremated bone quartz may have happened numerous times Before the cists were not located centrally the! And a palstave - or chisel - were found in the Bronze Age to the southeast of [. Age Britain is an exciting and exceptional find manifestation of a practice later supplanted by the director. This increased near the tip to seven, though the details of transition. For cutting edged tools and weapons the stone within the lower cairn material cremated. Was incomplete, with the final Formation of the remains were subsequently weighed using scales to!: colour was a uniform beige and there was no fixed point or stage for thrust! The origin of the rapier measured 337mm in length by 0.65m in width and to! People crossed the sea from mainland Europe to Britain the latter, interpreted as disturbed, it is that! Appearance of well-rounded ( i.e 3.5m wide and was only visible in close proximity Dagger ; Bronze Britain... Bank ( 007 ) consisted of a practice later supplanted by the deposition of cairn! Of Age from, the Swaites Hill rapier is an era of British that! Of debitage ( < 10mm ) were recovered, all chunks from the cists were finally filled in covered! Vessel 2 may have been placed within a probable ring-cairn ( Canmore ID: 47645 ), as the! Origin for the enclosure at Blackhouse Burn with later, more robust types, probably during the Bronze,! Investigations have demonstrated a Neolithic origin for the enclosure at Blackhouse Burn with later 19th...