b SIK JOHX ETANS — THE BRONZE AGE. 



in many cases on the outside of the socketed celt, although the 

 necessity for them had disappeared. Most of the socketed celts 

 were provided, like some of the palstaves, with a loop on the side 

 for the insertion of strings to bind them to the handle. To haft 

 any of these celts involved finding a branch of a tree which entered 

 another one at right angles. 



Besides the forms already described there was the tanged celt, 

 which approached very closely to the modern chisel. A specimen 

 from Walliugford is shown in Fig. 6. Socketed chisels were more 

 rare, but several specimens have been found. One from Heathery 

 Burn Cave, Durham, is shown in Fig. 7. Besides the ordinary 

 straight chisel they made use of the hollow one or gouge, one of 

 which is represented in Fig. 8. A number of hammers have been 

 discovered made like the socketed celts, so that the handle, instead 

 of going through the head, went into it. They have been often 

 found in bronze-founders' hoards, in which there were also found 

 scraps of old metal, sometimes the moulds in which new objects 

 were to be cast, and occasionally the new article in an unfinished 

 state. A hammer from the Isle of Harty is shown in Fig. 9. 

 Anvils were occasionally found, and doubtless many of the socketed 

 hammers were mounted on stakes so as to serve as anvils. Axes 

 perforated with a hole for the reception of the handle, after the 

 present method of hafting, have not yet been discovered in England, 

 although several have been found on the continent. Knives were 

 of course in use, the ordinary form being straight, double-edged, 

 and fitted with a socket, through which passed one or two rivets, 

 as will be seen from Fig. 10. Another form had a flat tang, 

 sometimes provided with rivets like Fig. 11, and sometimes with 

 a ribbed tang merely driven into the handle. Single-edged blades, 

 like those in use at the present time, are very rare in England, 

 although common on the continent. Occasionally a human figure 

 formed part of the handle, and sometimes a ring was dexterously 

 cast upon it. Implements which have been looked upon as razors 

 have also been found, so that it seems probable that the people of 

 the Bronze Age shaved. A double-edged curved blade with a tang 

 and a perforation through the blade was the usual form in this 

 country, like that from AVallingford (Fig. 12). The blades were 

 frequently ornamented in a very artistic manner. Yery few saws 

 have as yet been discovered in England, although several specimens 

 have been found on the continent. I have one in which the teeth 

 are pyramidal and broader than the back of the blade, so that 

 it cleared itself in sawing. Files of bronze have been found, but 

 they belong to a late period, and none have as yet been discovered 

 in England. Awls are found amongst the earliest implements ; 

 they were apparently used for sewing. In Denmark a ladies' 

 housewife of that period consisted of an awl, a pair of tweezers, 

 and a knife. The awl was used for boring holes in the leather, 

 through which the thread was passed and caught by the tweezers, 

 and of course the knife was xised to cut it oif. These appliances 

 are rai'ely found in this country. 



