During the British Bronze Age, we can see a notable diversification of tool forms in the archaeological record, possibly reflecting an increase in craft specialisation by the Late Bronze Age (1300-800 BC). Despite this, tool-use associated with this period has been a neglected field, with object studies often focusing on other areas of Bronze Age life such as weaponry. Where Bronze Age tools have been examined in detail, they tend to be discussed as isolated artefacts rather than dynamic elements of larger toolkits. This approach is invaluable for building typologies, but it does not illuminate how such objects were used by – or what they meant to – Bronze Age people.
What can tools tell us about how craft practices changed during this period, and what in turn can surviving craft products say about tool-use? To address this knowledge gap, and as part of a collaborative doctoral project between National Museums Scotland and the University of Leicester focusing on northern Britain, I have been researching the varied ways in which multiple tools might work together in different stages of a project like building a roundhouse or creating a log boat. The many hundreds of tools currently residing within museum collections, together with the growing number that are being found through metal-detecting and archaeological investigations, provide a large source of data to explore tool-use in greater depth, and my own research focuses primarily on bronze cutting-edge implements with an emphasis on a specific woodworking tasks. I have also been examining associated items like sharpening stones and hafts, as they are so integral to the maintenance – and therefore to the continued use – of edged tools, making them an essential part of any Bronze Age ‘toolkit’. My project set out to shed light on the potential range of uses of specific tools, with a particular focus on whether it is possible to identify the varied purposes of an individual object.
Cutting-edge research
Marks on the tools themselves can shed light on their histories: previous use-wear studies of copper-alloy axeheads have focused on their efficiency, while there is also a growing interest in ‘use-intensity’, investigating the amount of work an individual tool carried out before deposition. In 2021, Miriam Andrews performed lab-based experiments using a drop-rig to test axehead bladelets for up to 3,000-4,000 impacts, assessing damage to the blades and comparing these against archaeological artefacts to suggest how heavily they may have been used. However, no other research to-date has attempted to subject similar axeheads to such a high number of impacts, nor over any great length of time, and record the results.
War Classics – With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa