Description

Summary: 1 bronze knife dagger (Wessex type 2) with two rivet holes, a thicker central ridge and hollows either side, found with a primary cremation in Bowl Barrow Wilsford G23, excavated by William Cunnington

Research results

A Bronze Age copper alloy knife blade, found by William Cunnington during his excavation of bowl barrow Wilsford G23. Found alongside another dagger, a pin and a possible flute made from a crane radius, all buried with a cremation burial. These smaller bladed 'knives' probably followed a similar development to their larger counterparts, however they appear to have remained in use for a longer period of time and cannot be dated as precisely. The other dagger in the grave probably dates to the latter end of 1950-1700 BC.

This object was examined as part of the research published in Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods; a six-year research project carried out by Professor John Hunter and Dr Anne Woodward and funded by the Leverhulme Trust. Aided by a large number of other specialists the pair undertood an exhuastive study examining over 1000 objects held in 13 museums across the country in order to provide an extensive overview of burial practices in the period and identify regional practices.