Copper Hoards: Identifying Typical Artifacts

Copper hoards are significant archaeological discoveries, typically containing metal objects like tools and weapons from the Bronze Age. This question requires identifying an artifact that is generally *not* associated with these metal collections.

Analyzing Artifacts in Copper Hoards

We need to determine which item among the options is least likely to be found in a typical copper hoard:

• Celts: These are essentially axe or chisel heads made of metal, commonly found in Bronze Age copper hoards as tools or weapons.
• Harpoons: While often made of bone or antler, metal (copper or bronze) harpoons have been found in certain archaeological contexts, including some hoards, used for fishing or hunting.
• Antenna Swords: These distinctive swords are characteristic artifacts of the Late Bronze Age and are frequently discovered in European copper hoards.
• Hand axes: These are primitive, bifacially worked stone tools primarily associated with the Lower Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, predating the widespread use of metal and copper hoards by millennia.

Conclusion on Hand Axes

Given that hand axes are stone tools from much earlier prehistoric periods, they were not typically manufactured or deposited in the metal-rich contexts represented by copper hoards.