Incredible Bronze Age Find! 🔎

Local resident John Smith recently made an extraordinary discovery while walking his dog in woodland near Brierley: a Bronze Age axe head, found among the roots of a fallen tree. As the axe was found on Forestry England-managed land, John contacted staff at Bank House Coleford, who sent the axe to Cotswold Archaeology for identification and treatment.

The axe head has lain in the ground for over 3,000 years. Bronze is an alloy of copper with about 10% tin. The axe is a palstave type, which dates it to around 1400-1275 BCE. We can only speculate why it was there. It may have been dropped, lost or deliberately buried.

Axes have been used for thousands of years for a range of activities, from butchering animals to chopping down trees and woodworking. Axes have changed and become more sophisticated over time. Archaeologists can identify the age and type of axe by the changing designs.

The axe head is now on display in Gallery 1 of the museum for visitors to see.

Thank you to John and Forest of Dean - Forestry England for such a fantastic find!