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Description: | Description: A gold-alloy bracelet with loop terminals, Iron Age (c. 100 - 50 BC). The bracelet is comprised of two ropes plaited together, each rope is made up of two wires twisted together. Each terminal is formed of two loops. The outside surface of the terminals has been filled with a lower melting temperature gold-alloy containing approximately 16% more copper than the rest of the bracelet. The overall effect is to transform double loop terminals into single loop terminals.Metal content at the surface: 55% gold; 38% silver; and at least 7% copper.Weight: 63.74g; Maximum Diameter 84.6mm x 73.0mm; Maximum Diameter of terminals 15.6mm; Thickness of bracelet: 6.9mmThe finder suggests that it was found in approximately the same location as two other bracelets (2008T459, 2010T350).Discussion: Although this form of bracelet is by no means common, a number of similar sized examples, made from copper-alloy and precious metals, are known from the late Iron Age site of Snettisham, Norfolk (Stead 1991). A torc bracelet found in Britain was also sold at Christies in 1990 (Anon. 1990).The form of the main body of the bracelet, although not the most common, is seen on full-sized torcs, such as the torc from Middleton, Norfolk (Hautenauve 2005: 237). The neckring of the gold-alloy torc from Hoard J at Snettisham is similarly constructed (Stead 1991: Figure 3). Like 2011 T326, the terminals of this torc have also been made into a single rather than a double loop.The find spot [in a stream] is intriguing. Single deposits of torcs or torc bracelets are known but the majority come from hoards. Although there is a well-known tradition of depositing copper-alloy objects in water, deposits of precious metal British Iron Age artefacts in watery contexts are very rare, if not unknown. It is therefore perhaps more probable that this object formed a single find or part of a hoard which has been eroded or washed into the stream. Whether or not this bracelet was deposited at the same time as two other bracelets from the same location (2008T459 or 2010T350) is impossible now to establish. As reported elsewhere, 2010T350 is a bracelet of a form well-known (more usually in the form of a torc) from the later Iron Age. It would therefore be unsurprising if 2010T350 and 2011T326 were originally deposited together. 2008T459 was assessed on the possibility of it being a Bronze Age bracelet but was rejected as dating to this period due to its form, metal composition and its fresh surface. It has subsequently transpired that the finder soaked the bracelet in lemon juice which could account for its surface condition. Although its metal composition would be unusual for the Iron Age, work on the composition of artefacts from Snettisham is revealing more and more information concerning the wide variety of metal alloys and surface treatments employed. It is therefore not impossible that this particular metal composition was used in the Iron Age. However, the form of 2008T459 is extremely untypical for the Iron Age. The lack of Iron Age parallels, combined with its unusual metal composition and the lack of a surface to analyse, as well as the circumstances of its discovery, all mean that it is probably now impossible to establish the age of this object with any degree of certainty. Therefore it is also impossible to establish whether 2008T459 is related to the two other bracelets definitely dating to the Iron Age. Conclusion2011 T326 is made of precious metal and over 300 years old. It therefore qualifies as Treasure under The Treasure Act 1996. A copper-alloy object also reported is not thought to be related to this discovery and is therefore not Treasure.ReferencesAnon. 1990. Christies fine antiquities sale catalogue, Wednesday 7th December 1990. London: Christies.Stead, I. M. 1991. The Snettisham Treasure: excavations in 1990. Antiquity 65: 447-65.
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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