EARLY MAN 



saws arc equilateral. Nails, adzes, sickles, a chisel, a gouge, spud-like 

 objects, a key similar to one found by General Pitt-Rivers in researches 

 at Mount Cabourn in Sussex, which is a Late Celtic camp ; rings, and a 

 complete and perfect pothook of twisted iron. There were also some 

 articles like large flat spoons with long handles ; similar ones have been 

 found at Castle Yard in Farthingstone parish ; and several iron articles 

 the use of which can only be conjectured : of these the most curious 

 are figured in plate 7 of Sir Henry's paper. He suggests there that 

 they might be brands for branding cattle ; they bear the characteristic 

 pattern of the period ; the shaft of one of these is moulded and 

 has gilt bands. In addition to the above there were portions of the 

 tyres of chariot wheels, and a bridle with a bronze centre bit ; three 

 shield bosses, one round, resembling that figured on a wooden shield 

 belonging to the earlier Iron age in Denmark ; the other two at first 

 appeared to be Anglo-Saxon, but on placing them side by side with the 

 shield bosses from certain Anglo-Saxon interments in Northamptonshire 

 the difference can at once be seen, those of the Anglo-Saxons being more 

 angular in shape. Several iron drills were found ; these belonged to the 

 lower half of the quern stone and were for the purpose of holding the 

 upper stone in position. Out of the whole collection of iron articles 

 that came to hand there are but two which cannot be said to belong to 

 the people who made and occupied the camp : one is a short pickaxe 

 of the kind used as a stock-axe for stubbing up wood ; this may have been 

 lost when the camp in after years was cleared of the wood with which 

 it had probably been planted in order to cultivate the soil (for previous 

 to the ironstone operations the site of the camp had for many years been 

 under the plough) ; the other article is a slender bridle-bit like a snaffle, 

 which might be Roman or much later in date. It is very different from 

 the British bridle-bit, nor is it at all like an Anglo-Saxon bridle-bit which 

 came from a burial place about a mile and a half to the east, just outside 

 the village of Hardingstone. The bronze articles consist of two scabbards, 

 four fibuls or brooches, one of which is in perfect working order at 

 the present time, pins, rings, several articles supposed to belong to harness 

 trappings, fragments of tubing which were perhaps used to strengthen 

 the edges or ornament the sides of iron scabbards. One of the gems of 

 the collection is a sword sheath 2 feet 6 inches long. It is ornamented 

 on the upper end or locket with a finely engraved pattern, consisting of 

 a double pair of circles filled with smaller circles and the peculiar trumpet- 

 shaped design which is a characteristic of this Late Celtic art. Most of 

 the smaller circles are plain, but some have a triangle with curved sides 

 filled with cross-hatching ; the chape or termination of this scabbard is 

 heart-shaped like many others of this age.* 



Among other articles of this period which have been found in 

 the British Isles are remains of mirrors, the backs of which bear 

 engravings of Late Celtic designs. Five of these are known : one 



' See C. H. Read, in appendix to vol. Hi. oi Arthttobffa. 

 149 



