Rights Holder: Suffolk County Council
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BEAD
Unique ID: SF-D30D10
Object type certainty: Probably
Workflow
status: Published 
A gold object, probably a bead, of possible Bronze Age date. It has been flattened due to post-depositional damage but otherwise appears intact. The object is rectangular in form and would originally have been tubular in form. It is decorated on its exterior surface be a series of 17 transverse incised grooves, seemingly incised individually and by hand with the result that they are slightly unevenly spaced and the ends of some of the grooves do not quite meet. There is some damage to the exterior surface in the form of small cracks and splits to the metalwork resultant from it being flattened, but there is no obvious vertcal seem that might be expected if the object was formed from a single rectangular sheet of gold rolled to form a bead. It measures 14.67mm in length, 11.48mm in width, 1.61mm in thickness (flattened) and 1.14g in weight.
This object is possibly a decorated gold bead of potential Bronze Age date. It is similar to an example recorded from Suffolk through the Portable Antiquities Scheme in 2010 (LVPL-B28293) that had parallels in France and in an Irish example at the British Museum (BM 1853,0926.2) and was dated to the Late Bronze Age. It also shares some similarities with small gold 'boxes' from Little Cressingham, Norfolk, dating to the early periods of the Bronze Age and from burial contexts (Taylor, 1980: fig. 26c). This suggests the current example is likely to date to the Bronze Age, although precisely when within the period remains uncertain.
The precious metal content of this fragment fulfils the requirements of the Treasure Act in that it is greater than 10 %.
Notes:
TVC Valuation 20/07/2012: £90
Subsequent actions
Current location of find: Moyse's Hall Museum
Subsequent action after recording: Acquired by museum after being declared Treasure
Treasure details
Treasure case tracking number: 2011T825
Chronology
Broad period: BRONZE AGE
Period from: BRONZE AGE
Period to: BRONZE AGE
Date from: Circa 1500 BC
Date to: Circa 800 BC
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Length: 14.67 mm
Width: 11.48 mm
Thickness: 1.61 mm
Weight: 1.14 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Sunday 7th November 2010
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
SMR reference number: CAV 007
Other reference: Finder's Ref.: 122 (Cavendish 6)
Treasure case number: 2011T825
Materials and construction
Primary material: Gold
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Spatial metadata
Region: Eastern (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Suffolk (County)
District: St. Edmundsbury (District)
To be known as: Near Clare
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: GPS (from the finder)
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.
References cited
No references cited so far.
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Timeline of associated dates
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