39- Bronze Age Weapons in the Scarborough Museum. 



page 2tSi), which was found in the Tync, and was formerly in 

 the possession of Canon Greenwell. In that instance, however, 

 there are two rivet holes on each side of the blade as a means 

 of fastening a handle of wood, bone, or other material, whereas 

 in the Scarborough example there are three rivet holes on 

 each side, in one of which a bronze rivet still remains. This 

 is I" in length and about |" in diameter, and made from a 

 cylindrical piece of bronze. The portion of the sword remain- 

 ing measures 24" in length, so that when complete it would 

 probably be about 28 inches. Its width in the middle is i;^", 

 across the broad part ; near the handle, 2|" ; it is lenticular 

 in section, and f" in thickness. Weight 26 oz. 



There are one or two features in connexion with the sword 

 worthy of comment. Some small pittings, resembling the 

 familiar ' worm holes,' in old timber, are particularly num- 

 erous on one side of the blade, and a few occur on "the opposite 

 side ; presumably they represent bubbles of air which occurred 

 in the molten bronze when the blade was being cast. There 

 are also distinct evidences of the sword being in at least 

 four sections, as there are definite lines across the blade 

 which in two cases clearly break the continuity of the cutting 

 edge, at first giving the weapon the appearance of having 

 been cast in a mould made up in separate parts and fastened 

 together. Beginning at the point of the first dividing line 

 is ij" down, the next section is 3" in length, and the next 

 7I", the remainder of the sword, including the handle, is 

 without a break. 



The way in which these pieces have been welded together 

 is so excellent that at first I was inclined to the opinion that 

 the breaks were evidences of fractures in the mould in which 

 the weapon was cast. There were practical difficulties in the 

 way of this, however. I took the opportunity of examining 

 the fine collections in the British and London Museums, but 

 found nothing quite like it. In the Castle Museum at New- 

 castle, however, is a precisely similar sword, which has a 

 mark about li" from the top, exactly like that on the 

 Scarborough example. In both swords the marks of the 

 waddings are perfectly straight, as though made by a fine 

 band-saw ; and the edge shows no sign of any portion of the 

 weapon being missing. It seems difticult to understand how 

 the parts of the blade could have been severed without ln-nd- 

 ing the bronze at the joint. 



On the suggestion of Mr. Reginald Smith, of the British 

 Museum, I submitted the weapon to Mr. Brewis, of Newcastle, 

 who states that these swords were usually casl in sand, and, 

 therefore, breaks in the mould could hardly ha\'e occurreil ; 

 further, that he was satisfied that in the Scarborough case the 

 marks were due to welding in (juite nx'ent times. Possibly 



Naturalist 



