Bronze, socketed spearhead

DERSB : 1979.349

Bronze spearhead found at Matlock, 3,000-2,700 years old. (Late Bronze Age)

This bronze tool is cast with a hollow ‘socket’. With this design, you can fit the handle inside the tool, rather than binding the tool on to the handle. Fitted properly, the wooden handle will now absorb some of the transferred impact from the tool when it is used.

Bronze is a metal alloy made by mixing copper, easily available in the Peak District, with tin. This made a material that was harder than copper alone (previously used for tool making) and was easier to cast without any flaws. The disadvantage was that tin is not locally available, and this suggests trade with Cornwall, one of the main producers of tin in Europe.