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Description: | A small fragment of gold, rather crudely worked, although some of the dents are likely to be damage. One end is a narrow, twisty rod of round section, possibly an original terminal. This flares into a 'tab' the end of which is not certainly intact. It is therefore possible it continued as a longer ribbon. This tab is flat between gently convex sides which are thickened as beadings of triangular section. Extant length 24.3 mm; max, width 12.2 mm; diameter of rod 2.2-3.2 mm; max. thickness beadings 2.4 mm; thickness of ribbon centre 0.5 mm; weight 3.5 g The uncertainty as to whether this piece is broken makes it difficult to be sure of its identification. However, its features do match those of a type of bracelet which occurs in just two Welsh hoards, from Capel Isaf, Dyfed, and Maesmelan Farm, Powys. The type, known as Capel Isaf, comprises a flat band strengthened by triangular-section beadings along either edge. At either terminal the band tapers quickly to a hooked tang, one of which is rod-like, the other a flatter strip; these two interlock to close the bracelet. The Northfleet fragment appears to have had a narrower band than the Welsh parallels, but its metal composition is similar with low copper and between about 9 and 16 % silver. Making this identification does not necessarily offer definitive dating since the type is not associated with datable objects. The Capel Isaf hoard contains, in addition to two of this type, two more broad-band bracelets which are plainer in design, and a small fragment of twisted strip which is likely to be the terminal of another ornament (Savory 1977; Savory 1980, no 302, 195 fig. 46, pl. VIII). The Maesmelan Farm hoard has a simple rectangular section penannular bracelet in association with one of Capel Isaf type (Green et al 1983). The prevailing opinion is that these are of Bronze Age date and, if so, they are likely to date to before the middle of the Bronze Age (circa 1500/1400 BC), after which the copper content of the gold rises significantly. A mature Early Bronze Age or earliest Middle Bronze Age date is feasible and would tie in with a similar date for the Heyope ribbon torcs with similar terminals from a hoard in Powys.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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