awl

Please enable JavaScript in your web browser to get the best experience.

Object Type: awl
Museum number: 1879,1209.1821
Description: Bronze awl fragments; wedge-shaped tang with rhomboidal section, broken and point lacking.
Cultures/periods: Early Bronze Age
Findspot: Found/Acquired: Aldbourne IV, Barrow 280 round barrow Burial 1
Materials: copper alloy
Dimensions: Length: 14 millimetres; Thickness: 3 millimetres; Width: 2 millimetres
Curator's comments: Kinnes 1994 Description of site: Isolated barrow at 150 m OD on slope of dry valley in dissected chalk downland. Circumstances: Excavated by Greenwell in October 1878 (Greenwell 280; ‘The Times’ 8 Oct. 1878; Greenwell, W., 1890. Recent researches in barrows in Yorkshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire, etc. ‘Archaeologia’ 52, 50-3): mound of mixed earth, chalk and sarsen blocks (Diam. 27 m; H. 1.8 m: 'Victoria County History of Wiltshire', I.1. 1957, London, 147) over sarsen cairn (Diam. 8.5 m, H. 1.5 m); at centre, deturfed area (L. 1.4 m, W.l.l m; N-S) with ‘wood’ flooring on which cremation deposit covered by charcoal and ‘ashes’, with at S blade fragments (1879,1209.1820), awl fragments (1879,1909.1821-2), cup (1879,1209.1818), button (1879,12091829), beads (1879,1209.1823-6), rings (1879,1209.1827-8), pebble (1879,1209.1831) and fossil (1879,1209.1830); in charcoal cover, flint flakes (1879,1209.1832-4); 0.15 m to N of 'grave' a few burnt bones with cup (1879,1209.1819); in cairn, 2 arrowheads (1879,1209.1835-6), boar tusks (1879,1209.1837-8) and animal bones; in mound, sherds (1879,1209.1840-1840f) and flint flakes (lost). Note that two faience and one amber bead from grave and flints from mound are lost. Contextual information: 2a Dating and interpretation for grave group: Within Wessex 2 by presence of variety of beads, especially faience; metal work poorly preserved and not diagnostic, and other materials, apart from Aldbourne Cup(s) non-specific. For cups, cremations consistent; faience, shale, amber and awl at Wimborne St Giles G8; shale, bone and unclassified miniature vessel at Aldbourne G12; exceptional association of Type Camerton dagger, whetstone-pendant and bronze bulb-headed pin at Camerton; four of eight cups in graves with no other associations. Comparisons: within Group 2 (Thomas, N., 1968. Note on the Carrickanab awl. ‘Ulster J. Arch.’ 31, 23-4).
Bibliographic references: Kinnes et al 1985 / The Greenwell Collection (280:2); Kinnes 1994 / A17-30: Beaker and Early Bronze Age Grave Groups (No.30.2)
Location: Not on display
Acquisition name: Donated by: Rev William Greenwell
Department: Britain, Europe and Prehistory
Registration number: 1879,1209.1821

Free entry

Opening hours