Spreadsheets and Report on the Fragments of the Bronze Age. The destruction and deposition of metalwork in south-west Britain and its wider context 2015-21
Matthew Knight, 2021. https://doi.org/10.5284/1090300. How to cite using this DOI
Data copyright © Matthew Knight unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Primary contact
Matthew
Knight
National Museums of Scotland
Department of Scottish History and Archaeology
Chambers Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1JF
United Kingdom
Resource identifiers
- ADS Collection: 4231
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1090300
- How to cite using this DOI
Introduction
This data (spreadsheets and report) compliment and supplement the publication of a monograph on the subject of the deliberate destruction and deposition of Bronze Age metalwork in south-west Britain (i.e. Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset). This builds on work undertaken as part of an AHRC-funded PhD project.
A sample of over 1700 pieces of metalwork from south-west Britain were studied to identify signs of ancient damage and destruction. This included copper, copper-alloy and gold objects and a full assessment of the form and wear on the artefacts, as well as the nature of the contexts from which they were recovered. The data were initially collected between February 2015 and March 2017 through visits to 22 regional and national museums in southern England, as well as one private collection; the information gathered was enhanced between September 2020 and July 2021. The Portable Antiquities Scheme database was also utilised as a resource, and where suitable information was recorded, these records have also been synthesised in the database (accurate up to March 2017). The metal objects span the Bronze Age in Britain (c.2450-600 BC) and were analysed to study how practices of destruction and deposition transformed over time and space and in relation to different contexts.
Two spreadsheets are stored here, derived from a relational database:
1. Findspots
2. Artefacts
An accompanying introductory guide and bibliography is also stored as a separate document.
The Findspots spreadsheet includes information about individual sites, the nature of the context, the circumstances of discovery of metal artefacts studied and an extensive list of references. The Artefacts sheet details information about the form, typology, completeness, condition, dimensions of the artefacts studied, as well as detailing the evidence of any visible damage. Damage is ranked utilising a 'Damage Ranking System' presented in the published monograph.
Readers are encouraged to use and explore the databases as a resource for future studies into the sites and artefacts presented. More detailed discussion is presented in the project monograph (published as a Prehistoric Society Research Paper via Oxbow Books) and the data are best consulted in tandem with the publication which provides additional discussion and context.
The author, Matthew Knight, would like to acknowledge and thank the accommodation of members of staff at the various museums visited, as well as Martin Green for allowing access to his private collection. Thanks also go to Mike Allen for his assistance in preparing the bibliography.
