“Piece Offerings”: the Destruction and Deposition of Metalwork in Bronze Age Britain?

The destruction and deposition of Bronze Age metalwork took many forms. Weapons were decommissioned and thrown into rivers; axes were fragmented and piled in hoards; and ornaments were crushed, contorted and placed in certain landscapes. There are many such examples from south-west Britain. But what did these practices mean to the people involved? This talk will address how and why these practices took place at a localised scale and highlight trends and connections across Britain and north-western Europe to illustrate how destruction and deposition contributed to social life in the Bronze Age.