Sword, Lockerbie
Fields near Lockerbie (exact location not given)
This exceptional almost complete sword is 3000 year old, and
found in fields around Lockerbie. This wonderful bronze sword is
almost complete. It is only missing the upper portion of the hilt,
a tiny section of the tip and the biodegradable part of the
hilt.
The blade is leaf shaped and the blade edges are relatively
sharp, but don't have well defined bevelled edges. This probably
means it was cast and cleaned, but never sharpened (and so not
used). It may have been made especially for deposit as an offering
to the gods or ancestors. There is no context for the item although
excavations at Lockerbie Academy last year turned up other Bronze
Age objects, so it is clear people were living in the region 3000
years ago.
The sword was found 50 years ago by a local man who was working
in the fields around Lockerbie. It was offered by the late finder's
family as Treasure Trove last year and purchased by Annan
Museum. Rare in Scotland, such swords are characteristic of
the so-called Wilburton metalworking tradition, which marks the
first stage of the British Late Bronze Age (from approximately
mid-12th to late 11th century BC).
Object no :
HRAH013a-c
Collection :
Creator :
NA
Place of Production :
NA
Dimensions :
NA
Materials :
NA
Location :
Fields near Lockerbie (exact location not given)
Accession number :
655
Copyright :
Dumfries & Galloway Council