Ewart Park Phase facts for kids
The Ewart Park Phase was an important time during the later Bronze Age Britain. It is named after a large collection of metal objects found at Ewart Park in Northumberland. This period is the twelfth in a series of metalworking stages that happened between 3000 BC and 600 BC.
The Ewart Park Phase lasted from about 800 BC to 700 BC. It came after the Wilburton complex in the south of Britain. In the north, it followed the Wallington complex and Poldar phase.
There were several smaller groups of people and styles within this period. These included the Carp's Tongue complex in the south east. The Llantwit-Stogursey tradition was in south Wales. The Broadward complex was found in the Welsh Marches. In the north, there was the Heathery Burn tradition. Scotland had the Duddington, Covesea, and Ballimore traditions. The time period that was similar in Ireland was called the Dowris Phase.
During this time, people often mixed lead with other metals. Many hidden collections of metal objects, called hoards, come from this period. People also started making horse harnesses and parts for vehicles. This shows links with the late Urnfield culture and the early Hallstatt culture in Europe.
Recently, experts have started to think that the Ewart Park Phase was a starting point for new metalworking ideas. These ideas then spread across Europe. This is different from what people thought before. Some of the new metal items included swords, winged chapes (metal tips for sword scabbards), and buckets.
Ewart Park Swords
Most Bronze Age swords found in British museums are from the Ewart Park Phase. These swords usually have a wider part in the middle of the blade. Then they get narrower towards the handle. The end of the handle often looked like a fan. The size and number of metal pins, called rivets, on these swords could be very different.
These swords grew out of the earlier Wilburton swords. They did not get much influence from other parts of Europe. It seems they first appeared in Northern Britain.
The Ewart Park Phase was followed by the Llyn Fawr Phase. This later period was similar to the main Hallstatt C culture in Europe.
