Research: BATWEP
BATWEP: Bronze Age Tree-felling and Woodworking Experimental Project
The first aim of the project is to test if changes in the shape and hafting styles of Bronze Age axes are motivated by increased efficiency. To test this hypothesis, replicas of an Early Bronze Age flat axe, a Middle Bronze Age palstave and a Late Bronze Age socketed axe (the latter with two different hafts) have been cast and hafted by traditional bronze-smith Neil Burridge (Bronze Age Craft) based on British prototypes. The axes have been used in a series of controlled field tests involving the felling and sectioning of birch trees from Wallington, a National Trust property in Northumberland. Energy expenditure has also been calculated by monitoring heart rate during the tests.
The second aim of the project is to investigate whether any of the three types of axe display different wear traces, which could indicate a change in use due to functional reasons. This part of the project involves the use-wear analysis of a sample of Bronze Age axes from the Great North Museum: Hancock. The goal of the analysis is to compare the wear traces present on archaeological axe-heads with the traces generated on the replicas during the experiment.
The field tests and use-wear analysis were carried out by Masters student Joshua Desrosier (pictured) as part of his dissertation project.
Project leader: Andrea Dolfini
Other project team: Joshua Desrosier (Newcastle University), Lindsay Allason-Jones (Newcastle University) and Les Ansley (Northumbria University)
