Find Spot record MLI50482 - Bronze Age Axe, Nettleton Top
Summary
Bronze Age axe from an Iron Age/Romano-British site, Nettleton Top.
Type and Period (1)
- FINDSPOT (Early Bronze Age - 2000 BC? to 1700 BC?)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
A Bronze Age copper alloy axe was found in an Iron Age context. It is in good condition and is, perhaps, unused. It is possibly a votive offering during the Iron Age near the top of the ditch as it was passing out of use. It may therefore constitute a ritual offering at a boundary or specifically a termination offering. {1}
A low-flanged axe of early Bronze Age dated to about 2000BC to 1700BC. The main importance of the axe is undoubtedly its context of deposition. It was found in the fill of a large, steep-sided and flat-bottomed ditch, cut to 2.15m below the modern ground surface. The axe was relatively high in the ditch fill but not within the uppermost fills which contained late Iron Age to Roman period pottery. The excavators considered that it had received some kind of ritual placement although the date of deposition of the axe was not established with any certainty. The axe had not been in pristine condition when deposited; it had been used and had slight damage to the blade. The only explicit decoration on the axe is a straightforward ‘rain-pattern’ design and, although un-delineated, this occurs in a tightly confined ‘panel’ covering the upper half of the blade faces. {2}
Sources/Archives (2)
- <1> SLI5929 Report: University of Durham. 1999. Excavation and Fieldwork at Mount Pleasant, Nettleton. -.
- <2> SLI14617 Bibliographic Reference: Willis, Stephen. 2013. The Roman Roadside Settlement and Multi-Period Ritual Complex at Nettleton and Rothwell, Lincolnshire. pp.162-68.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | TF 1310 9742 (point) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | NETTLETON, WEST LINDSEY, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (1)
Related Events/Activities (1)
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Mar 21 2021 8:35PM
Feedback?
Your feedback is welcome. If you can provide any new information about this record, please contact us.