June 20th photograph of Sword Casting in Perth, Perthshire, Scotland. Making the Bronze Age. Bronze sword Casting. Five bronze swords found in the river Tay offer a fascinating glimpse into Bronze Age life, a warrior based society where such a weapon was a potent symbol of power and position. Intriguingly, their excellent condition suggests that they were deliberately deposited in the river as votive offerings. To cast a sword into the water speaks of a deeper meaning that we struggle to grasp with our modern understanding, but such acts may possibly have been done to venerate water Gods or honour a great chieftain in his journey through the after life.
Compared to iron, bronze is timeless, a mix of copper and tin, it has been used for nearly seventeen hundred years for all manner of things from weapons to the axes and gouges, tools that were used to make the Carpow logboat. Bronze is harder than iron and was still used for razors, body armour and shields long after the introduction of iron swords. If the Bronze Age has started when the Romans left Britain we would still be in it today!
Neil Burridge is a bronze sword smith who has opened up our understanding of ancient bronze working. In four demonstrations today he was casting replica swords of the type found in the river, and for the first time in three thousand years offered a sword back to the Gods.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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