Proc Antiqc So Scot, (1985)5 11 , 151-158 grouA bronzf po e socketed axes from Eildod nMi Hill, near Melrose, Roxburghshire Brendan O'Connor* and Trevor Cowief ABSTRACT In 1982, a group of seven socketed axes was found on the lower western slopes of Eildon Mid Hill, Ettrick Lauderdaleand District, Borders Region. Although recovered from redeposited soil, axesthe probably represent hoarda Ewart ofthe Park phase late ofthe Bronze Age.findThe reinforces what significantappearsa be to local concentration of contemporary metalwork around Eildonthe Hills. CIRCUMSTANCES OF DISCOVERY On 9 August 1982, several bronze socketed axes were discovered by Messrs W and A Wilson (uncl nephewd margie an rifl e th th n e f lowe)o nrange o th n reo western slop Eildof e o Hill d e nMi th , centra highesd three an l th f eo t peaks whic mose th hf t o forconspicuou e mon s landmarke th f so Scottish Border country (illus 1 -2). They were intendinWilliar M e mus go Wilson't s metal detector slightly further uphill in order to search for shell-cases and cartridges in the area of the targets. While they were walking up the roughly trodden grassy path on the northern margin of the range, with their detecto rt consciousl switcheno t bu n do usen yi , their conversatio interruptes nwa signaa y db l from the machine. The tone indicated a non-ferrous metal, and closer scanning with the detector suggested that there wer least ea t four soil anomalies withi nsmala l area Wilsone Th . s decide investigato dt e eth sourc thesf eo e signals: clearance wit htrowea smala f lo l tenacioupatce th f ho s turf revealed theio t , r surprise, not spent ammunition but a socketed axe of bronze (catalogue no 7); a second discrete signal was found to emanate from a further axe (7) also lying on its own just under the turf. The source of a third signa reveales clustea e wa l b f thre o o rt d e axes lying close together (3-5). Realizine gth growing archaeological significanc f theieo t wishinrno findd disturo an gt , e sitbth e furthere th , Wilsons responsibly left undisturbe groune th n dsourcee i dth whaf o s the y b t n o appearetw e b o t d further signal similaa f so r nature. They replace disturbee dth d tur bess a f t they coul maso dt sitee kth , and immediately reported their discover e Ancienth o yt t Monuments Divisio e Scottisth f no h Development Department, one of whose Inspectors, Dr N Fojut, in turn notified the National Museumwritere th August7 f 1 o sn e (TGCO . on , ) visite findere dth inspeco st axee th t s already recovere vieo t site wd theif th eo dan r discovery followine th d r lanM an , e gScotd th day an f o e t h , NMAS, with the assistance of Aidan Wilson, investigated the immediate area of the find (NGR NT 542325). t centresmalfind-spoe A ou th t clustee n lse dth o trench 2m s f y f threo b to r wa , m e2 , axes *48 Rodney Street, Edinburgh tRoyal Museum of Scotland, Queen St, Edinburgh | SOCIET 2 15 ANTIQUARIEF YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1985 3-5. .10° -^/Socketed axes C) Eildon Hills ( Dingleton Mains) • Eildon Mid Hill Ikn,———————————, ILLUS 1 Eildon Mid Hill: location maps and diagram to show relative positions of axes. Abbreviations: A, Abbotsford , CavertonC ; , CauldshielCL ; s Loch , DryburghD ; , EildoEH ; n Hills (near Dingleton Mains) , Eildo Hilld EM ; , HumehallnMi H ; , KalemouthK ; , LadyriL ; g maps(baseS O n d,o Crown Copyright reserved) already removed (cf illus 1, d). Following removal of the coarse turf, the points from which the five axe beed sha n retrieved became clear: these showe irregulas a p du r depression whan si t appeareo dt be the natural subsoil of reddish clayey loam with plentiful stones (mostly the local felsite). Scanning of the trench with the detector relocated the positions of the two signals not investigated by the Wilsons the previous day. One of these emanated from a slightly darker patch of humic soil: on removal, this proved simply to be a deeper pocket of topsoil, occupying a slightly damper, clayier depression in what seemed once again to be the natural subsoil. A further socketed axe (6) lay at an depressioe side anglth f th e o n eo n 10-1 belom 5 c presen e wth t ground surf ace: perhap accounn so f to the damper matrix, the axe was in a noticeably more corroded condition than the others when found. Surprisingly source finae th , th lf eo signa l appeare emanato dt e from natural subsoil wit obviouo hn s featur y s surfacetracit an f n eo o e . Remova smala f o l l are f thiao s supposedly natural 'subsoil' reveale sourc e remainine dth th f e o thre d an g w) furthe a signa som(2 e b e o econtexlax rt e lighth n to t of the group of axes as a whole. It became clear that this last axe was not, as first thought, lying in undisturbed ground, but rather was lying in compacted redeposited soil apparently occupying the side onaturaa f l gull channer yo hillsidee timth e n th li en I available.t possibl no s excavatwa o e t t i , e eth presumed channel nor determine its width or depth, but the circumstances which led to the incorpora- O'CONNOR AND COWIE: BRONZE SOCKETED AXES FROM EILDON MID HILL 153 tion of redeposited soil in natural features seem clear enough for the construction of the rifle range must have involved considerable smoothin contoure th f o irregularitied t san g ou hill-slopese th f so . Churning up of the ground, the infill of erosional features such as gullies caused by water run-off, and the compaction of the area by machines could account for the formation of the deposit on and in whic sevel hal n axes lay. Indeed, gullie type th ef senvisageo seee b nn elsewherdca slopee th n f eso o Eildone th s (se axee elikele Th illusar . havo yt s2) e been moved bodil loaa eartf n yi d o soil d han , dumpe thed dan n slightly disperse werd6 (axed e an separate s2 distanca y db f 1-eo 5 m). Following the removal of the final two axes, the excavated soil and turf were replaced and the site restored to its original appearanc possibles a r fa s ea . Finall surroundine yth g arescannes awa d wit e metahth l detector, but no further non-ferrous anomalies were noted. ILLU discovere 2 sitth Viee S f th e o f wo y (indicate figurese th y db ) with Eildo backgroune Hild th n li Mi d importances vien it I f wo claimefins e th ,d wa behalCrown e do th f Treasurs fo n a e Troved an , findere th scours e werdu n ei e rewarded. Althoug Wilsone hth f cleane d socketo e so ha th t tw df ou s o the five axes originally retrieved by them, they realized that further unskilled cleaning might result in damage or destruction of evidence, and had refrained from further excavation of the sockets or cleanin metale th f go seve.e Fivth f neo axes were therefore submitte museue th o dt m laboratorr yfo conservation with their loops and sockets filled with earth and stones in the hope that some trace of organic remains might have survived. In the event, the soil matrix in which the axes had lain proved havo t t e no favoure preservatioe dth f sucno h evidenc worts i t i t h stressinebu importance gth f eo being given the opportunity to check in controlled laboratory conditions. | SOCIET 4 ANTIQUARIE15 F YO SCOTLANDF SO , 1985 THE ORIGINAL DEPOSITION OF THE AXES In vie theif wo r discover redepositen yi d soi cannoe lw absolutele tb y axe e certaith s w wernho e originally deposited. However, their number, their proximit theid yan r similar conditio suggesl nal t that they came fro mhoarda , probably clos theio et r eventual find-spot. Whethe sevee th r n axes recovered in August 1982 comprised the whole hoard remains uncertain. On the other hand, it is possible, though less likely, that more tha separate non e deposi originalls wa t y involved. ILLUS 3 Eildon Mid Hill: the group of socketed axes (scale 1:3) CONNOO COWIED RAN : BRONZE SOCKETED AXES FROM EILDO HILD NMI L 155 DESCRIPTIO AXEE TH SF N(illuO s 3-4) Socketed axe with angular collar, well-defined horizontal moulding and three short ribs which diverge slightly; the broad loop springs from the moulding and is narrower at this point. The straight sides divergslightle ar d yean expanded toward edgee sth , whic bees hha n sharpened moute Th . s hi sectioe squarth d nean rectangular surface .Th pittes ei therd smalda an s ei l castin gcollae flath wn ri e unillustrateth n o d face. Each interna centrala facs e horizontafro b ha elevee ri th l m th f o l l moulding nearly to the base of the socket. Length 82 mm, blade width 42 mm, internal mouth width 30 mm. Sockete wite dax h everted collar, horizontal mouldin thred gan e ribs, longe mord ran e widely spaced than on axe 7.