I was intrigued recently to come across the report of a strange find by a potato grower in the tiny island of Bryher in the Isles of Scilly of a burial site of Bronze Age date which contained both a sword and a bronze mirror. The islands in question are rich in ancient burial sites, but artefacts of this type are distinctly rare.
Originally the farmer discovered a 34in iron sword in a stone-lined burial chamber into which the wheel of his tractor broke. It was in a bronze scabbard. Later investigations by the Cornwall Archaeological Unit revealed a bronze mirror. That both items should be interred with a single individual is intriguing. We might expect a man to be buried with his sword and a woman with her mirror, but not both together with a single person.
It is hoped that DNA testing of the bones found in the cist will establish the sex of the grave's occupant. Bronze mirrors are of great rarity world-wide, and swords do not often occur in this part of the country, although they are more common in East Yorkshire, where 22 have been reported from Iron Age sites. The Bryher sword is dated between 250 and 125 BC. The date of the mirror is so far not established, but it is claimed to be the earliest hitherto excavated in Britain.