BRONZE AGE DIRK

1600

Copper alloy middle Bronze Age rapier or dirk. The mid section of the blade is slighly convex with no medial ridge. The tip survives, and the edges are in remarkably good condition and are still sharp. The blade tapers out to the shaft which is oval, with two circular holes at the top, one of which has been broken in antiquity. The top of the shaft is slightly hexagonal in shape. The dirk has a greeny/brown patina, and the surface which survives, has a light etching to it. Dating to an early date within the middle bronze age, part of the Acton assemblage or possibly the Taunton phase, circa 1600 - 1400/1300 BC. Burgess & Gerloff's (1981)Group IV weapons with group II affinities.