Rare Bronze Age spearhead discovered intact in Jersey-It was discovered by a metal detectorist

1630Boston

Rare Bronze Age spearhead discovered intact in Jersey

A rare and complete metal spearhead dating back thousands of years to the Bronze Age has gone on display in Jersey after being found on the island.

It was discovered on the beach at Gorey by a metal detectorist in August.

Carbon dating on the remains of the wood shaft it was attached to confirmed it was from between 1207BC and 1004BC, Jersey Heritage said.

The "really exciting find" was also "thought to be unique to the Channel Islands and a rare find", it added.

'Incredible'
Jersey Heritage archaeology curator Olga Finch said the find was "unique and very rare in terms of its large size and the fact that it is intact".

She said: "This spearhead is completely different from everything else we have so we're wondering if it was deposited as part of a ritual or an offering.

"Our next step is to work with experts elsewhere and look at the location of the find to discover what new stories we can find out about the Bronze Age in Jersey."

Museum conservator Neil Mahrer said he had never seen anything like it: "To see this spearhead in one piece was incredible, and the wood inside the spear shaft was so well preserved that we were able to use it to discover that it dated back to over 3,000 years ago."

The wood, field maple - commonly used during the era, was sent to the York Archaeological Trust for carbon dating.

The piece had been put on display at the Jersey Museum & Art Gallery after carbon dating was completed, and in time for its reopening from coronavirus lockdown rules, staff said.

The beginning of the Bronze Age can be put at about 2000BC.

1630Boston

Metal detectorist Jay Cornick on the beach with his kids

The perfectly preserved 35cm long spear head made from copper alloy was found buried point down at the low water mark on one of the lowest tides of the year.

It is in such good condition that the finder Jay Cornick thought it must be a modern fishing spear. He put it in his bag and didn’t think much more about it until he showed it to archaeologists from Jersey Heritage.

The spearhead was found last August but the find has only now been made public after radio carbon dating confirmed it is at least 3,000 years old. Remains of the wooden haft which were still in the socket of the spear head also confirmed it had been made from field maple, which was commonly used for hafting tools and weapons in the late Bronze Age.

Mr Cornick, 34, an electrical engineer, had detected on the beach near Gorey Harbour in the east of the island many times before making the find. He said: “It was very close to the harbour wall. Down on that part of the beach we usually find a lot of musket balls and old bullets and that’s what it sounded like. It was just about the first signal I got, I was in two minds whether to dig it but I did anyway.

“It was a good 15in to 18in deep. It was at a 45-degree angle and when I dug it I saw the end of it and just pulled it out. It came out with a sucking sound. It was deep enough into the black, clay-ey sand that doesn’t move with the tide that it may have been there since it went in.”

He said: “When I found the spear I didn’t think it was that important or that old. My initial thought when I dug it out was that it was a modern fishing spear and probably less than 100 years old so it was just thrown in my bag until I got back to the car. Then I looked again and thought it might have a little bit of age to it.”

more info here https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/bronze-age-spear-found-by-a-metal-detectorist-on-a-jersey-beach/ar-BB1e64fE?MSCC=1604210228

Kyser

She said: "This spearhead is completely different from everything else we have so we're wondering if it was deposited as part of a ritual or an offering.

With a bent tip? My first guess if naval battle, skirmisher tosses spear, hits shield, falls in the water. Laughter ensues.

ricko

Wow... what an incredible find.... To think it has been in the clay/mud/water all that time and still had some of the wood within the spear head..... Amazing.. Cheers, RickO

1630Boston

@ricko Wood submerged in water lasts a very long time.

Boston Groundwater Trust (BGwT) has been working underneath the scenes to preserve the structural integrity of Boston since 1986, monitoring groundwater levels to be sure the wood pilings holding up businesses and homes in several neighborhoods remain strong.

To understand the importance of BGwT, one must look all the way back to 1630, when Boston was first founded as the Shawmut Peninsula. At that time, the city was a much narrower land mass. As the city grew, areas that were once mud flats, including the Back Bay, Fenway and parts of the North End, were filled in with sand and gravel.

Buildings then built in these areas were constructed on top of wood piles. These pilings continue to support our buildings today, and it’s important they remained submerged in water to prevent rotting.

When the wood piles are no longer submerged they start to deteriorate, causing buildings to settle unevenly and bricks or walls to crack.

more on Boston piles here https://northendwaterfront.com/2018/09/underneath-boston-a-city-built-on-wood-piles-preserved-by-groundwater/

ricko

@1630Boston ... Thanks for the information/link. Was not aware that submersion protected wood that well. Cheers, RickO

1630Boston

I think lack of free oxygen 'prevents' rust on metal and decay of wood. ??

Jimnight

That's a nice find ... Congratulations.