School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology

David Bell

David Bell

Qualifications

BSc (Hons) 1st class, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, QUB

Postgraduate

Email: dbell26@qub.ac.uk

Address

School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology (GAP)
Queen’s University Belfast
Belfast, BT7 1NN
Northern Ireland, UK

Telephone

+44 (0)28 9097 5287

Current Research: Past Cultural Change (PCC)

Use-wear on Atlantic Middle Bronze Age Swords: Status Indicators or Weapons of War?

The purpose of my study is to develop a clearer understanding of the intended function of Middle Bronze Age weaponry, particularly swords and rapiers, as found along Europe’s Atlantic Façade. This matter has long been the subject of debate and has attracted some innovative approaches to its study. These range from early experimental archaeology to the methodical application of archaeometallurgy, particularly use-wear analysis.

The stated aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of the original function of Atlantic Middle Bronze Age weaponry, especially swords and rapiers, with a particular focus on determining the extent to which the latter were used in physical combat. The specific objectives of my thesis will be to:

• carry out use-wear analysis on a representative sample of Middle Bronze Age swords and rapiers from the British Isles, France, and the Iberian Peninsula
• discuss the outcome of this empirical research and its relevance for current notions concerning the role of these objects in ritual depositions, burial rites etc.
• explore the impact any change in the perceived role of these items would have on theories of early state formation in the Middle Bronze Age of the Iberian Peninsula

Principal Supervisor: Dr Dirk Brandherm
Secondary Supervisor: Dr Gill Plunkett