Types of Irish bronze axes and copper hatchets

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The early bronze axes and copper hatchets in Ireland (from 2000 BC) can be typified primarily on the basis of rich deposits . According to a list by Laurence Flanaghan (1969), there are 1886 axes for this in Ireland . The axes or hatchets are divided into four types.

  • The type "Lough Ravel" was named after an isolated hoard in County Antrim in Northern Ireland . In the Republic of Ireland it is referred to as the "Cappeen" type after a deposit found in County Cork . Half of the hoards with this type of ax were found in Cork and Kerry Counties ; only one comes from the province of Ulster . Of this ax with the thick end and the torpedo-shaped body, 443 pieces are known, including its subspecies "Ballybeg". They represent a production of more than 200 kg over 1,500 years.
  • The type "Killaha" was named after a hoard in County Kerry. Four hoards of this type of ax or hatchet are known in Kerry and one in Cork. There are 303 known examples of the ax with the splayed body and the long, thin area. That represents a production of about 160 kg of metal for a little over 500 years;
  • The type "Ballyvalley" was named after a hoard in County Down . The type forms a concentration in the northeastern area of ​​the island. The axes are slimmer and less splayed than the Killaha type. The total of 845 axes corresponds to a production of almost 300 kg in a little less than 500 years. It is interesting that a Ballyvalley-type hatchet from Culfeightrin, County Antrim was cast in a sandstone mold found in Ballynahinch, County Down.
  • The type "Derryniggin" was named after a hoard in County Leitrim . The axes are particularly slim and weigh an average of half what those of the Lough Ravel or Killaha type weigh. Only 297 pieces are preserved, which corresponds to a production of 73 kg.

literature

  • Laurence Flanaghan: Ancient Ireland - Life before the Celts 1998 Gill & Macmillan ISBN 0-7171-2433-9 .