Armstrong — Associated Finds of Brome Celts. 



521 



Dowris hoard ;' Mr. J. Arthur Phillips, f.c.s., analysed a socketed celt from 

 Ireland ;- and Professor B. W. Boyd Dawkins published the analysis of an 

 Irish flat celt made by Mr. Wilson.' The results of these various examinations 

 are shown in the following table : — 



Analyses of Irish Beon^ze Celts. 





Copper. 



Tin. 



Lead. 



Iron. 



Arsenic. 



Antimony. 



Gold. 



Silver. 



Sulphur 



and 

 Carbon. 



1. Flat celt (W. 5971 

 (Mallet). 



S6-9S 



12-57 



— 



— 





— 



Trace. 



-37 



— 



2. Klat celt (Biitisli Museum) 

 (Gowland). 



86-20 



12-52 



Trace. 



•19 



•68 



•26 



— 



•21 



— 



3 Flat celt (Ireland) 

 (Wilson). 



94 



5-09 



— 



•01 



— 





— 



— 



— 



4. Socketed celt ("W. 576) 

 (Mallet). ' 



88-30 



10-92 



-10 



Trace. 



Trace. 





— 



— 



— 



5. Socketed celt (W. 573) 

 (Mailet). 



95-64 



4-56 



-25 



— 



— 



— 



— 



•02 



— 



6. Socl;etei! celt (Dowris Hoard) 



86-232 



13-112 



1-142 















— 



— 



•150 



(Donovan). 





















7. Socketed celt (Ireland) 

 (Phillips). 



90-68 



7-43 



1-28 



Trace. 



— 



— 



— 



— • 



Trace nf 

 Sulphur. 



It must be mentioned that Mallet's analyses are to be received with some 

 caution. In the case of a halberd, which he examined at the same time as 

 the celts and returned as containing 2-7S per cent, of tin, a subsequent 

 analysis made by the late Dr. James H. PoUok, m.e.la., showed that an error 

 had been made, as the object contained only -25 per cent, of tin.* 



Had the art of hardening copper by the addition of tin been discovered in 

 Ireland, we should expect to find the tin in the early implements and 

 weapons used in gradually increasing quantities, until an alloy was obtained 

 containing about 10 per cent, of tin to about 90 per cent, of copper. This, 

 however, does not seem to be the case. Such copper celts and halberds as 

 have been analysed appear to be made from copper mixed with small quan- 

 tities of other metals, present merely as impurities in the copper ore ; 

 though small amounts of arsenic, antimony, &c., would have the eti'ect of 

 rendering the native copper harder." 



' Proceedings Royal Irish Academy, iv, pp. 408, 469. 



2 Journal of the Chemical Society, iv, pp. 278, 288. 



' Early Man in Britain, p. 408. 



^ Coffey, Proc. Royal Irish Academy, xxvii, sec. C, pp. 98, 100. 



= Gowland, Journal Royal Anthropological Institute, xxxvi, pp. 30, 31. 



[73*] 



