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EARLY MAN

EARLY MAN at Windsor is in the British Museum. 1 Another elegant form, in the Reading Museum, from Mortimer West End, is here shown. The edges of this are still very sharp. 3 A formidable weapon of large size (i 2 inches long), from Moulsford, is in the same Museum and somewhat resembles the barbed spear-head from Speen figured by Sir John Evans 3 (see plate). Pointed knives or knife-daggers have been found at Blewbury and Rowcroft, Yattendon, the latter being j inches in length. The former is in the Ashmolean Museum. At Sutton Courtenay was found a tanged knife or dagger 10 inches long, and at Newbury was found a tanged dagger of Arreton Down type, j inches long, now preserved in the collection of Canon Greenwell. * A bronze dagger 7 inches in length with ogival outline was found in the bed of the river Thames near Maiden- head. An interesting little rapier-shaped blade about 6| inches long was found in the Kennet and Avon Canal between Theale and Thatcham, and is now in Sir John Evans's collection. It has two peculiar small notches just above the rivet-holes. Bronze knife-blades are occasionally found in interments, as in a barrow at Stancombe, and in one of the ' Seven barrows,' Lambourn. A good example of a rapier-blade 1 1^ inches long, with one of the rivets attached, was obtained from the Kennet, near Reading, and was presented to the Museum by Mr. F. W. Albury. It re- sembles in type the example from Coveney. 5 A leaf-shaped sword from the Kennet is also BRONZE*BI.ADE in the Reading Museum. It is somewhat like Sir FROM John Evans's fig. 343 of a sword from Barrow. Another, from the Thames near Reading, is in Canon Green- well's collection. The long bronze sword is a formidable and at the same time an elegant weapon. It is equally effective for cutting or thrusting, and may be considered one of the latest products of the Bronze Age. A fine example found near the Thames opposite Henley is in the Reading Museum. It is of the same type as the sword from Newcastle figured by Sir John BRONZE SWORD FROM THE Evans, 6 and has been described by Dr. Stevens. 7 THAMES OPPO- The celt or axe is well distributed over the county, SITE HENLEY. a i t h ou gh the flat and probably early type is not very abundant. 1 A similar example is in the Reading Museum, also from the Thames (14^ inches long). 5 A somewhat larger specimen was obtained from the Thames near Reading. a See Evans, Bronze Imp. 337. Also Journ. Brit. Arch. Ass. (1860), 322.

  • See Evans, Bronze Imp. 259. Also Journ. Brit. Arch. Ass. (1860), 322.

Evans, Bronze Imp. fig. 313. Ibid. fig. 344. 1 Journ. Brit. Arch. Assoc. (1882), p. 275. 181