File:Bronze age, bronze un-looped palstave (FindID 137248).jpg

English: A heavily abraded cast bronze un-looped palstave with central rib below the stop ridge and raised flange facets. The palstave dates from the Middle Bronze Age (1500-1150 BC). It measures 145.5mm long and weighs 477 grams.

The blade of the palstave is sub-triangular in plan with convex expanding sides and a convex blade edge. The cutting edge has been lost. In profile the blade is sub-triangular with the widest section being before the stop ridge. The blade (measured from the blade edge to the stop ridge) is 75.9mm long and the width of blade edge is 53.2mm. The thickness of the blade tip is 7.9mm. The maximum thickness of the blade is 21.5mm (measured at a point below the stop ridge; the width at this point is 33.6mm). Beneath the stop-ridge, on both sides of the palstave, is a tapering central faceted rib. This rib extends approximately half way down the length of the blade, terminating in a point. The rib itself, although present on both sides, is crisper and less eroded on one of the two faces. Directly below the stop ridge are two concave depressions (one either side of the central rib) which is bordered by slightly raised ridges. Again this pattern is more visible on one face than the other. The convex cutting edge of the blade is lost through corrosion, abrasion and probably wear. The exposed edge is asymmetric with one side of the blade being more worn than the other. This may be due to considerable movement in the ploughsoil and corrosion. On the surviving patina, on lower part of the blade, a series of slight irregular dish (convex) shaped hammer marks / scars are present. These are most notable in oblique light. This may suggest that the cutting edge has been reshaped and sharpened by hammering at some point in its life history.

The rear part of the axe (from the stop ridge to the butt) is sub-rectangular in plan and sub-triangular in section (profile) with the widest part behind the stop ridge. The septum (the area between the flange facets and the stop ridge) is 64.9mm long, 16.1mm wide and 8.2mm thick. The butt of the axe has been damaged and is incomplete. The width at the butt is 27.6mm. The flange facets are fused to the stop ridge forming two raised elements to haft the axe by. The facets on each side of the axe differ from one another. However, one face of the axe has been severally damaged by abrasion and corrosion which renders comparison between the two faces difficult. On the better preserved face, behind and against the stop ridge is a small conical depression or hollow. This hollow is irregular in form and extends 4.8mm into the septum of the axe. It also has a patinated surface, which suggests it is relatively old and not a product of corrosion. The most likely cause of this hollow is an air bubble or gas pocket which formed in the mould. This would have caused such a mist cast; however it obviously did not affect the role or strength of the axe and so must be relatively superficial.

The palstave is a light - mid green colour with areas of thick well formed patina and exposed areas of abraded metal. It is likely that abrasion and corrosion has spread and affected 40% of the surface of the axe. However, this corrosion seems to be relatively stable at present and relatively few areas of light green active powdery corrosion can be observed. The majority of the abrasion present on the palstave is located on one face. It is also noted that the weight of this palstave is extremely heavy in comparison to other examples of similar date; this is especially the case when the abrasion and damage is taken into account. Similar examples to this palstave can be seen in: Savory, 1980; Catalogue of the Bronze Age collections in the National Museum of Wales; entry 153 from St Fagans, Glamorgan. This form and style of palstave fits into the Acton Park metal working tradition which is dated to the first phase of the Middle Bronze Age (MBA I) 1450-1250 BC.