Rare Bronze Age axe goes on display
A rare bronze axe, found by detectorist Paul Rowlands in 2020, has gone on public display at Oriel Môn in Llangefni. It has been described as a rare discovery.
Finding the axe
Paul went out detecting with his Equinox in a field near Llanfaethlu, Anglesey with his friend Mathew Thomas just before the first Covid lockdown in 2020. Paul almost missed out on the find “We had been in the field for about two hours, and we hadn’t found much, just the odd button. I was just going to give up, go for a cup of tea, and the signal rang out a 26 on my machine, which is not usually anything good, but I thought ‘well, I’ll dig it’, I’d gone about eight inches and then spotted it.”
The axe
Paul said “I knew what it was immediately. It was fantastic to find it in such good condition and still so sharp. I rang a finds liaison officer and took it to archaeologists (Gwynedd Archaeological Trust) in Bangor, they did carbon dating said it was 1900BC.” The FLO confirmed that it was a flanged axe dating to the Arreton metalworking tradition at the end of the Early Bronze Age.
Paul added “I doubt I shall ever beat it, or finding anything older than the axe head“
On display
The axe head is now on display at Oriel Môn in Llangefni, Anglesey
Photo: courtesy Oriel Môn
Ian Jones Collections and Buildings Manager at Oriel Môn said “The prehistoric bronze axe head is in remarkable condition with a still sharp working edge. It’s a rare discovery, only a few of its type have ever been found in north Wales. We are most grateful to Paul for depositing the axe in Oriel Mon’s museum collection.”
Paul said “because of lock down it just sat in a box. Now I’m pleased it is at the Oriel Môn so every one can see it“