Spearhead · Middle Bronze Age
Socketed spearhead
1600–700 BCE, Urnfield
Socketed spearheads appear in the Middle Bronze Age of Britain and Ireland with side-looped and basal-looped forms and continue through the Late Bronze Age, when plain pegged leaf-shaped heads become the norm across Europe. Most are 100–250 mm long, though ceremonial basal-looped examples exceed 400 mm. They are common in hoards and river finds and are one of the most affordable Bronze Age weapons.
| Object | Spearhead |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1600–700 BCE |
| Period | Middle Bronze Age |
| Cultures | Urnfield |
| Regions | Europe — Western & Central, Europe — Northern & British Isles |
Diagnostic traits
A cast bronze spearhead with a hollow conical socket running into a midrib, usually with a leaf-shaped blade and either a pair of loops or peg holes to secure the shaft.
Identification
Side loops on the socket indicate the Middle Bronze Age; peg holes and a plain leaf blade indicate the Late Bronze Age; a kite-shaped blade with a broad socket suggests the Early Bronze Age or a Continental origin. Iron Age spearheads are forged iron, not cast, and lack the integral cast socket seam. A socketed axe has a rectangular socket and a splayed cutting edge, not a pointed blade.
Reproductions and fakes
Cast reproductions in modern bronze show file marks, an even brown chemical patina and sometimes an unfinished socket interior; genuine pieces have a stable green or dark patina that continues inside the socket and often retain a wooden shaft fragment or its mineralised trace. Reproductions rarely reproduce the casting flash and hammered edge finishing of the originals.
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Socketed spearhead" (Artifact type). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/types/socketed-spearhead. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-socketed-spearhead,
title = {Socketed spearhead},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/types/socketed-spearhead}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.