The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons, and Ornaments, of Great Britain and Ireland.Evans, John
History
The Ancient Bronze Implements, Weapons, and Ornaments, of Great Britain and Ireland.
Evans, John
Bronze age -- Great Britain; Bronze age -- Ireland; Great Britain -- Antiquities
One of the daggers from the great find at Arreton Down,[918] Isle of
Wight (9⅝ inches), has the blade strengthened by three raised ribs.
It is shown in Fig. 306. It was found with several tanged blades like
Fig. 324, some flanged celts, and other objects. In a blade (9 inches)
in Canon Greenwell’s collection, and found at Ford, Northumberland,
there are two slight ribs about ⅜ inch from the edges and parallel to
them. There are punctures along the sides of the ribs.
Possibly some of these weapons may have been halberd blades, such as
those hereafter described.
Another form of dagger widens out considerably at the base, so as to
give the edges an ogival outline, and this form passes into what have
been termed rapier-like blades. As is the case with the leaf-shaped
blades, which will presently be described, some of these latter are so
long that it is hard to say whether they ought to be classed as swords
or as daggers.
The example engraved as Fig. 307 is from Scotland, and not England,
the original being in the Antiquarian Museum at Edinburgh. It was
found in 1828 upon the farm of Kilrie, near Kinghorn, Fifeshire. The
blade, as is usually the case, shows a central ridge upon it, but is
also ornamented with parallel lines engraved on either side, which is
a feature of far less common occurrence.
A plain blade of the same character (7½ inches), but narrower in its
proportions, was found at Bracklesham,[919] Sussex. It has as usual
two rivets only.
I have another (7⅛ inches), showing four facets on the blade, from
Soham Fen; the two rivet-holes cut through the margin of the base, as
in Fig. 304.
I have seen others from the Cambridge Fens.
Another (13½ inches) with four rivets, and more nearly approaching
the rapier form, was found in the Thames at Ditton,[920] Surrey,
and was presented to the British Museum by the Earl of Lovelace.
Another of the same character (7 inches) was found in the Thames near
Maidenhead,[921] and another (8 inches) at Battersea.[922]
[Illustration: Fig. 305.—Magherafelt. ½]
[Illustration: Fig. 306.—Arreton Down. ½]
[Illustration: Fig. 307.—Kinghorn. ½]
One (9¾ inches) with two rivets, and the base forming half a hexagon,
was found at New Bilton,[923] near Rugby. I have another of nearly the
same form (7¾ inches) from Waterbeach Fen, Cambridge.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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