British Bronze Age Sickle Unearthed in France, Revealing Ancient Trade Links

Greek Reporter ^ | August 8, 2025 | Nisha Zahid

[SunkenCiv]

Archaeologists have uncovered a rare Bronze Age sickle in France at the Suret site in Val-de-Reuil, in the lower Seine valley. Dating to the Atlantic Late Bronze Age between 1200 and 600 B.C., the artifact is one of only a handful of such finds recorded in the country.

The sickle is made of copper alloy and remains largely intact, although its tip has broken off. The missing piece was recovered alongside the main artifact. The chipped edges on the curved blade suggest that it was used extensively.

The socket features a side ring and two holes that were once used to secure a wooden handle with pegs. One peg, still lodged in place, appears to be made of bone. Traces of the handle survive inside the socket.

Scientific analysis could not determine the exact type of wood, but tests narrowed the possibilities to willow, poplar, black alder, hornbeam, or hazel. Willow is considered the most likely candidate...

Socketed sickles of this type are believed to have originated in the British Isles and are seldom found in France. Only around ten examples are known, concentrated along the Channel coast in the Somme and Seine valleys, and on the Atlantic coast...

Within the Seine valley, only two other specimens had been documented before this discovery -- one from Vernon in Eure and another recovered from the river in Paris. The new find not only broadens the archaeological record for the region but also offers insight into the movement of goods during the Late Bronze Age.

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TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: ancientnavigation; borrowedbyaneighbor; bronzeage; godsgravesglyphs; pruninghook; sickle

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

The weekly digest list of topics is up top.

[SunkenCiv]

British-style socketed sickle dating from the end of the Bronze Age.

Credit: Inrap

[Hebrews 11:6]

Good design and craftsmanship—nice bevel on the curved blade—but the moment your stupid teenager uses the tip to pry off the horseshoe....

[F450-V10]

I was the stupid kid who wrecked or lost my dad’s tools, equipment, even boats by every combination of laziness and stupidity possible. I hope my dad’s laughing from above, seeing me paid back by karma and a stepson.

[SunkenCiv]

😁🪓

[Dr. Franklin]

Or some people from Britain settled in France, or taught the ancient people across the channel how to make this. That scenario is equally plausible, and I doubt either theory can be proved conclusively hundreds of years later.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

My dad had a two-man buck saw. The second man handle came off and I thought it looked like a hand grenade, so I threw it as hard as I could in the field when we were fighting the enemy. Lost it. Dad wasn’t happy about that even though I never once saw him once use that saw. He just didn’t buck his own firewood.

Then there was the time I left the cap off his pipe dope tube and it turned solid as a rock (old formula pipe dope from the late 50s). He went to use it on a repair and instead of goop found stone. Dad wasn’t happy about that, either.

[SunkenCiv]

It’s not equally plausible, because the finds are rare on the continent.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Gotta be the record for trans-channel international sickle toss. What an achievement!

[frank ballenger]

Good pairing.

Aren’t the new Windows 11 emojis not as good as the old ones?
Hard to see what the impressionistic cartoonist art is representing sometimes.

[Kudsman]

Wow nice find. Worth it’s weight in copper many times over back in the day. I would love to know if some Brit crossed and gave it go in France, or a French trader brought it back over.

[NFHale]

That would be an interesting challenge for the “Forged In Fire” crew to re-create.

It looks much shorter than a modern version.

[SunkenCiv]

I’d imagine the ships went both ways, since ships are how the precious stone set in the silver sea got people on it in the first place. ⛵

[SunkenCiv]

It is kinda tiny, but the browser has a hover-for-caption for the emoji pop-up that comes in handy. 👓

[SunkenCiv]

That kind of activity is what got Jarts banned.

[SunkenCiv]

Probably more like a corn knife in use.

[tumblindice]

These were the earliest French communists.

[frank ballenger]

Thank you, FRiend.

[SunkenCiv]

My pleasure!