Today’s VM_365 image for Day 205 is of a Late Bronze Age Bronze Hoard given the name  Birchington III to distinguish it from other hoards. The bronzes were found by a metal detectorist near Quex Park, Birchington in 1996.

The objects include socketed axes; blade, collar and body fragments from socketed axes; fragments of blades from swords in the Ewart Park Anglo-Welsh tradition; a blade fragment from a point of a sword in the Continental Carp’s Tongue tradition; other sword blade fragments; parts of a small knife as well as part of the blade of a socketed chisel and finally, a bun ingot.

The hoard contains a large quantity of  material from the continent, probably brought in as scrap as part of cross Channel trading and presumably intended to be melted down and reused as were many of the Bronze hoards found on Thanet.