Walle Plough - Extent of Excavation

Extent of Excavation

The ploughbeam is made from a single oak branch approximately 3 metres (9.8 ft) long. The ploughshare originally measured about 60 centimetres (24 in). The handle is set in a rectangular opening of the share and stabilised by additional wedges. The front part of the share is missing, because the plough had been accidentally cut into several pieces by its finders.

Pollen samples were taken in 1927 for palynological analysis. This showed that the plough dates to the Early Bronze Age at the earliest. Since it represents a fairly developed form of the scratch plough, the Walle find could also date to the later Bronze Age or Early Iron Age.

A similar plough, also of oak and of similar measurements, was found at Papau near Toruń. The scratch plough type is known through finds and images from the Neolithic, the Bronze and Iron Ages, as well as from Hallstatt culture, Etruscan, Greek and Roman contexts. The basic form is still in use in the Mediterranean region.

Why the Walle Plough had been deposited in a bog is not known. Perhaps it was meant to be temporarily sunk in the bog during the winter, to preserve its wood. In 1983, a roughly 3000-year old stone axe was found nearby.