492 



Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



in England, and but one is recorded from the Isle of Man, and two 

 fi'om Scotland.^ 



In figure 3 the imitative rivets are reduced to a single boss, and 

 disappear in figure 4. In the subsequent figures we see the socket 

 developing at the expense of the blade, and the transition to the fully 

 developed spear-head begins. The somewhat rounded points of thi& 

 class of spear-head is noticeable, and forms an additional feature, in 

 which the resemblance to the dagger-blade is traceable. The Academy 

 possesses thirteen specimens of this primitive form. 



(12) (13) (14) 



12.— One-fourth. 13.— Meath (W. 248). One-fourth. 14.— One-fourth. 



It is possible that this type of spear-head has been derived through 

 the Arreton Down type of tanged blades, or the latter may be a side 

 derivative from a common original. It is unwise to attempt to lax- 

 down positive lines of descent in cases where the influence of special 

 types has probably been operative at many points of the same area. 



The Arreton Down type is rare. It takes its name from a find of 

 nine tanged blades at Arreton Down, near !N"ewport, in the Isle of 

 Wight, previous to the publication of which the type appears to have 

 been unknown. Isolated examples of this type have since been found 



1 Evans, p. 326, and Anderson, Scotland hi Fagan Times, Bronze Age, p. 181. 



