File:SOM-D83264, Bronze Age spearhead (FindID 289006).jpg

English: An almost complete Bronze Age side-looped spearhead. The leaf-shaped blade is 57.9mm in length, lozenge-shaped in cross-section, with a rounded central rib on both faces. The socket is hollow and flares outwards slightly towards the mouth. It is currently filled with soil. The mouth of the socket is bent inwards slightly to one side. The small, flattened, strip-shaped loops are situated about 11mm up the the socket and about 18mm below the blade. One of the loops has a slight break in its centre which appears to be due to errosion following deposition, rather than manufacture or wear. The metal survives in largely fine condition, with a shiny, brownish patina remaining in places, still showing faint parallel scratch marks that are probably the result of manufacture. In places this outer surface is missing, leaving dull, pitted patches. There are also a few, very small, patches of powdery green corrosion in places on the socket.

Three similar spearheads, all from Wales, can be seen in 'National Museum of Wales: Guide Catalogue of the Bronze Age Collections' (Savory 1980, pp.175, fig.27, no's.227-9), particularly no.229 from Llanerfyl, Powys, which also has a leaf-shaped head and, at 103mm in length and weighing 38.6g (slightly larger than no.227&8), is of similar proportions. Evidence suggests that there was a local industry in North Wales producing spearheads of this type (and slightly longer versions) during the middle Bronze Age and probably into the beginning of the late Bronze Age, between c.1450-900 BC (ibid. p.50-1), suggesting a similar date and origin for this example.

Length: 108.58mm, Width: 15.11mm, Maximum thickness of blade: 9.26mm, Diameter of socket mouth: 14.72mm, Weight: 40.6g.