Thanks 11th_VA.
Posted on 02/28/2021 10:05:10 PM PST by 11th_VA
One of the most spectacular bronze age weapons discovered in northern Europe has been found by a metal detectorist on a Jersey beach.
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.
No similar spear head has been found in the Channel Islands although a handful of similar examples have been found in France which is just 14 miles from Jersey. Most bronze age spear heads discovered in the islands have been much smaller and part of hoards that were deliberately broken and buried as part of some long forgotten ritual.
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...
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
In south-central pa there are a lot of abandoned homesteads that are deep in overgrown areas. People didn’t believe in banks then. A prospector I knew told me that he’d sweep old gate posts and look under flagstone in hearths. Sometimes find a stash of coins.
Re beautiful:
Being a “Forged In Fire” afficianado myself, I look at that piece of ancient hardware and think of the time, sweat, and effort that went into making it.
The fact that it was probably a standardized, mass-produced weapon type, forged by some village smithy “under the spreading chestnut tree” as the old poem goes, is intriguing. He did the “heat, beat, and repeat” method over and over again to produce that piece, and probably a few hundred others...
How cool would it be to find several more Of those, all made by the same blacksmith.... I wonder if those Metal Masters back then put their own identity marks on their creations.
What exit?
Now, here’s one heck of a find from a NEW Jersey beach. Almost 5 times older than the bronze spear point.
Chortle.... See the Jersey Shore documentary... An examination of the lives of Jersey Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals. The middle of the Stone Age. They only recently discovered how to make fire rather than carrying embers in a clay pot from encampment to encampment. Language is developing but is still mainly guttural grunts and screeches with no grammatical structure. Social structure is based around mating displays where the female paint them selves elaborately and the males battle for the right to mate.
ImVho, 14 miles is TOO CLOSE to France & the frogs.
Yours, ex-cadet
Elegant design,
Thanks.
My town is a Jersey Settlement but you’ll have to come to the Midwest US to find it. Founded with the same cows and a Presbyterian church.
I believe that IF I had fortunate enough to have found that spear-point, I would have enjoyed it during my lifetime & then left it in my will to a suitable museum, with the understanding that it would be displayed, rather than sold.
(Fwiw, the last time that I gave a significant artifact to a museum, the museum sold it to a private collector. - I was NOT happy when I heard of the sale.)
Yours, ex-cadet
Whoa. That would make one heck of an owie.
Hey now...
Ouch.
It’s a great heritage to have. Lots of mixed breeding i.e. Norman’s, French, English, Roman. The cows are iconic and known worldwide. The island itself is beautiful and very close to the Normandy beaches. My mother was a child on the island during the occupation and has some fascinating stories about German/ Islander interaction.
WOW! that is in super excellent condition. Wonder what’s in the sand there to preserve it so well?
LOL!
Saw the post, thought it was New Jersey.
has been found by a metal detectorist on a Jersey beach.
= = =
Metal Detectorist
How can I get a degree in that?
Thanks 11th_VA.
Well, it was at the ‘Jersey Shore’!.........................
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
