Bronze axes represent a massive leap in technology. Before man worked out how to create Bronze, axes were made from stone or flint. These axes were highly prized but they took many hours to make and were very fragile. With the development of metal came the ability to make more things, quickly. Bronze axe moulds could be re-used and produce many axes in the time it took a person to make one from stone.
Although incomplete, it is an important find as archaeologists know very little about how and where axes were made. This complex mould made a socketed axe which is hollow for attaching to a wooden shaft.
Bronze Age Metal working was seen as magical; after all they turned stones into metal by using fire. We think metalworkers travelled the country offering their skills to communities. This find points to Beacon Hill being a centre of a local community and probably the home of the local leader.
This revolution in technology led to large scale land clearance and transformed the lives of our ancestors. It is possible that axes made from this mould were used to clear large areas of forest around Charnwood, paving the way for the agricultural landscape we still enjoy today.
