NHER 58407 (Find Spot record) - Middle Bronze Age ceremonial dirk, the "Rudham Dirk"

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Summary

A Middle Bronze Age dirk was ploughed up from this site at some time around 2003. The object was stored in a farm office before being identified several years later.

Protected Status/Designation

  • None recorded

Location

Map sheet TF82NW
Civil Parish EAST RUDHAM, WEST NORFOLK, NORFOLK

About 2003. Stray find. [1].
Middle Bronze Age elaborate ceremonial dirk found during ploughing. Another example of this object type is known from Norfolk (NHER 29157), but all others are from Continental Europe. These ceremonial dirks have intentionally blunt edges, and lack any attachment holes for handles.
Information from PAS import.
See unpublished document (S1), drawing (S2) and newspaper articles (S3), (S4), (S5) and (S6).
A. Beckham (HES), 21 May 2018. Amended by E. McDonald (HES), 1 March 2018.

  • --- Article in Monograph: Needham, S. and Wilkin, N. 2024. British ceremonial weapons revisited: A new Plougrescant-Ommerschans dirk from East Rudham, Norfolk, and its typological, geochemical and landscape context. Larger Than Life: The Ommerschans hoard and the role of giant swords in the European Bronze Age (1500-1100 BC). Amkreutz, L. and Fontijn, D. 235-269.
  • --- Article in Monograph: Theunissen, L. and van Os, B. 2024. A comparative metallurgical analysis of the six dirks of Plougrescant-Ommerschans type. Larger Than Life: The Ommerschans hoard and the role of giant swords in the European Bronze Age (1500-1100 BC). Amkreutz, L. and Fontijn, D. 271-288.
  • <S1> Unpublished Document: Pestell, T. 2014. An Application to the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society for funding towards ‘The Rudham Dirk’.
  • <S2> Illustration: Gibbons, J. 2013. Drawing of Middle Bronze Age ceremonial dirk. Film. 1:2.
  • <S3> Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2015. Norfolk’s ‘hundred club’ which tells the rich story of its people. 28 November.
  • <S4> Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2016. Great discoveries like this could soon slip through our fingers. 9 January.
  • <S5> Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2014. Bronze treasure so nearly ‘the one that got away. 22 November.
  • <S6> Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2016. Leading the way in uncovering important treasure from the past. 1 August 2015.
  • DIRK (Middle Bronze Age - 1500 BC to 1350 BC)

Related NHER Records (0)

Record last edited

Aug 10 2024 2:38AM

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