File:Bronze Age , Spear (FindID 888599).jpg

English: A nearly complete cast copper-alloy socketed side-looped spearhead of early Middle Bronze Age date, c. 1550-1400BC. Acton Park I-II Type, (Needham Period 5) - Burgess's Metal Working Stage VIII and IX.

The spearhead comprises a leaf shaped blade with chamfered edges and a conical socket with protruding, semi-circular side loops; one to either side of the socket which are positioned in line with the cutting edge of the blade. A protruding mid-rib is present to both surfaces of the blade where the socket tapers to the tip. The edges of the blade are worn with a small semi-circular break to the lower curved edge of one side. Slight casting flashes are visible to either side of the loop though have been removed and smoothed down along the socket. Two small worn circular perforations are present on the socket, one to either side midway between the blade and loops. A slight bend in the blade is present which may be the result of purposeful decommissioning of the object though may also be a result of depositional processes.

The metal has a dark brown patina, delaminated with powdery green patches in places. The spearhead is 125.2mm long; the blade is 36.8mm x 4.3mm; the socket is 22.1mm in diameter, 2.7mm thick, 73.4mm depth. The object weighs 89g.

Side-looped spearheads correspond to Greenwell and Brewis' Class IV which date to the early Middle Bronze Age. They are likely to belong to the Acton Park 2, Taunton (Cemmaes) or Penard metalwork assemblages, corresponding to Needham's (1997) Period 5, c. 1500-1150BC. A side-looped spearhead from the Thames at Mortlake (DoB 31) has been radio-carbon dated by Needham et al (1997) producing an early radiocarbon date of 3225+/- 65BP (OxA-5948) 1680-1400BC with a 95% confidence rating.