About
Bronze Age jewellery tells us remarkable stories about Wiltshire's ancient communities. Discover why hoards of bracelets, torcs and rings – some crafted in gold – reveal so much about how our ancestors lived and traded across Europe. Join archaeologist Andrew Lawson to explore these spectacular finds.
For more than two hundred years from 1400BC, the farming communities of Wiltshire wore distinctive personal ornaments, including bracelets, twisted neck rings (torcs), finger rings and dress pins. Most of these objects were skilfully fashioned from bronze but a few were crafted in gold. In modern times, some of these rare pieces of jewellery have been discovered as isolated finds but the majority come from hoards. This custom of disposal is not unique to Wiltshire, yet local discoveries enable us to compare both the style of the objects and the method of their disposal with others in southern Britain and the European mainland. The often-spectacular ornaments from Wiltshire thus make an invaluable contribution to broader archaeological debates.
Andrew J Lawson is a retired CEO of Wessex Archaeology with degrees from the universities of Wales and London. He continues to research Bronze Age metalwork and has worked extensively with Norfolk Museums Service.
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