HOARD

Description

Gold penannular 'lock-ring'. Triangular side-plate cross section, with tubular edging and visible joining seam. The surfaces of the plates do not appear to have visible decoration but are still covered with a thin layer of soil on some areas. The central tube is covered with soil and it is difficult to establish the exact manufacturing technique. The lock-ring is crumpled and creased in some sections, especially around the central tube and in the face-plates. The lock ring has a brownish granular fill, possibly the remains of an original core, which has a different appearance to the whitish soil deposits remaining on the outsides of the rings (see the associated DCSR report).

Maximum Diameter: 50.84mm, Internal Diameter: 12.91mm; Weight: 15.2g (including internal soil),

Gold penannular 'lock-ring'. Triangular side-plate cross section, with tubular edging with a visible joining seam. The surfaces of the face plates are not sufficiently clear although they do not appear to have visible decoration and covered with a thin layer of soil on some areas. The lock-ring is extremely distorted and it has a crumpled central tube and it is difficult to establish the exact manufacturing technique. The lock ring has a brownish granular fill, possibly the remains of an original core, which has a different appearance to the whitish soil deposits remaining on the outsides of the rings (see associated DCSR report).

Maximum Diameter 52.30mm, Internal Diameter: 13.44mm; Weight: 12.1 g (including internal soil)

Copper alloy bag-shaped chape. One perforation on each side. The surface is plain and undecorated.

Length: 41.34mm, Width: 11.02mm, Height: 22.78mm; Weight: 15.1g,

Copper alloy bag-shaped chape. One perforation on each side. The surface is plain and undecorated.

Length: 43.90mm, Width: 12.57mm, Height: 24.94mm; Weight: 28g,

Copper alloy blade tip. Both edges seem bevelled and the blade has a lenticular cross-section. The edges seem worn with small notches and some striations.

Length: 45.40mm, Width: 17.54mm, Thickness: 3.22mm; Weight: 8.7g,

Copper alloy ingot fragment or casting waste

Length: 28.82mm, Width: 17.99mm, Thickness: 17.88mm; Weight: 25.6g

Copper alloy ingot fragment or casting waste

Length: 25.30mm, Width: 22.88mm, Thickness: 19.75mm; Weight: 39.5g

Copper alloy sheet metal strip/band fragment. Several fragments seem to fit together forming what could possibly be a rim (No. 8-12).

Remaining Diameter: 106mm-125mm, Width: 17.93mm, Thickness: 0.75-1.22mm; Weight: 12.3g

Copper alloy sheet fragment. This is a composite fragment of 4 strips of metal heal together by 2 remaining rivets near one edge. Two narrow and elongated strips of metal are joined by one rectangular small sheet of metal near one edge of the interior surface. The external surface is covered by another strip of metal that runs along the joining seam covering it. Although this outside metal strip is fragmented it's longer than the two horizontal strips and presents a rivet near the broken edge which suggests it was held to another fragment.

Length: 86.83mm, Width: 20.05mm, Thickness: 0.63mm, Maximum thickness with rivet: 2.35mm, Diameter of rivet: 0.25 mm; Weight: 7.9g

Copper alloy sheet fragment

Length: 30.85mm, Width: 18.30mm, Thickness: 0.85mm; Weight: 1.9g

Copper alloy sheet fragment

Weight: 2.0g, Length: 31.21mm, Width: 17.92mm, Thickness: 0.42-0.62mm.

Copper alloy sheet metal strip/band fragment possibly part of a rim (No. 8-12)

Length: 56.33mm, Width: 16.4mm, Thickness: 0.60mm; Weight: 3.7g

Copper alloy sheet fragment. A large rivet that could possibly fit laid over fragment No. 12. This strip has three regular edges and an irregular broken edge near the rivet. Two sides are slightly bent over in the same direction and one of them seems to fit the curve of the "collar" (No.12) due to similar width and contours. However the orientation in relation to the fragments that form the "collar" (No.8-12) is uncertain. The rivet in this fragment is significantly larger than the others seen in other strips.

Length: 31.17mm, Width: 30.52mm, Thickness with folded end: 0.33mm-2.6mm, Thickness with rivet: 4.43mm, Rivet Diameter: 6.03mm; Weight: 3.9g

Copper alloy sheet fragment with three rivets. This fragment consists of three sheets of metal held together by three rivets. Near the regular edge two rivets hold together a smaller rectangular sheet in the interior surface very similar to fragment no 9. On the outside the same rivets appear on a larger exterior rectangular sheet that runs perpendicularly to the large centre sheet. The third rivet is near the broken edge of the exterior sheet but can be seen from the interior surface and it seems it also crossed the centre sheet but that piece was broken.

Length: 34.01mm, Width: 22.36mm, Thickness: 0.38mm, Thickness with rivet: 2.04mm, Diameter of rivets: 2.29mm-3.15mm; Weight: 2.3g

15-16. Copper alloy sheet fragment. The fragment has three rivets and a smaller fragment that fits over it. This fragment consists of three sheets of metal held together by three rivets. This binding technology is similar to fragment no.2 but in this case the fragment is a narrow rectangular strip where the remaining part of the three sheets has the same outline. There is also a small fragment (No. 16) that fits on one edge of fragment 15.

Length: 33.08mm, Width: 9.67mm, Thickness with rivet: 1.79mm, Diameter of rivets: 2.71mm, Length of smaller fragment: 19.41; Total Weight: 1.5g

Eighteen small copper alloy sheet fragments stored together.

Minimum and Maximum Lengths: 12.82mm-38.67mm, Thickness: 0.15mm-0.65mm; Total Weight: 13.9g

Additional finds made during subsequent excavation

Copper alloy 4 sheet metal fragments stored together.

Minimum and Maximum Lengths: 11.56mm-23.74mm, Thickness: 0.30mm; Total Weight: 1.2g

Additional finds - not associated with prehistoric finds, not part of the potential Treasure case

Iron buckle with plate. Badly corroded iron buckle of post-prehistoric, probably Medieval date. The buckle pin is present but the buckle loop is missing. This object is not associated with the other finds and is not considered as part of the potential Treasure case.

Dimensions: Length: 50mm; Width (max): 27mm; Weight: 15.4g

Analysis of the composition of the gold lock-rings (Nos. 1-2)

Semi-quantitative analysis indicated a gold content for both lock rings of approximately 77-81%, a silver content of approximately 12-14% with at least 7% copper. See appended report from Department of Conservation and Scientific Research (File No. 7513-5) for details.

Discussion

The hoard comprises of several objects that are characteristic of the Late Bronze Age. The blade tip (No. 5) appears to belong to a sword of Ewart Park or Carp's Tongue type. The bag-shaped chapes are also characteristic of the Ewart Park phase of the Late Bronze Age (c.950-800 BC). Gerloff (2004, 146) has recently argued that the use of bag shaped chapes (Nos. 3-4) continues into Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age transition period.

'Lock-rings' represented by Nos. 1-2 could have been used as hair-rings or earrings and are often found in pairs. The distribution of lock-rings shows a North British Group, a South British group, and a French group (Eogan 1969).The technology of lock-ring production is complex and the techniques used to produce these examples deserve additional research after or in the course of conservation. Similar lock-rings have been found at Harting Beacon, Sussex (Eogan 1968: 103, no. 41-42), but the precise form of the near Chichester 'rings' is relatively rare.

The two bag-shaped chapes (Nos. 3-4) are of a type present in several hoards in South-east England. They are primarily distributed in South-east England and in Northern France, with a small number of outliers in Ireland (O'Connor 1980: 190; List 161; Gerloff 2004, fig. 17.9, 3). Parallels for the bag-shaped chapes can be found in the Mininis Bay hoard, Kent (Ibid., fig.59, no. 12), and a similar bag-shaped chape with two peg holes is part of the Salisbury hoard (British Museum: 1961,006.7; 1998,0901.149). Bag-shaped chapes are often associated with the Carp's Tongue (CT) complex/horizon (O'Connor 1980, 190-91), although Gerloff (2004, 146) notes that their distribution is somewhat peripheral to their principal distribution areas. It is possible that the blade tip (No. 5) belongs to either a Ewart Park or a Carp's Tongue sword, both are types that are closely associated with hoards and deposits that also include bag-shaped chapes (Ibid.).

The fragments of copper alloy with fastening rivets (Nos. 8-38), apparently from a vessel, are unusual and difficult to parallel in Britain. The techniques used to rivet the strips are, however, consistent with the tradition of Late Bronze Age sheet metal container construction (i.e. the Atlantic cauldrons and buckets complex: Gerloff 2010). The rim from 'Near Chichester' vessel is smaller and more delicate than these, larger sheet metal containers (cf. Ibid., 42-3, fig. 2-3), and may have been attached to an equally fragile copper alloy body or organic material that did not survive. Gerloff lists a number of riveted sheet fragments (Ibid., 321-25: 'riveted sheet fragments'), some of which (e.g. the fragments from Mount Batten, Plymouth: Ibid., no. 140, pl. 141) bear some resemblance to the Near Chichester rim fragments, but do not have as clearly defined form/function. It would be beneficial to undertake more research on the technology and typology of these riveted sheet fragments.

The 'Near Chichester' hoard therefore includes a number of objects that can be understood in the context of European and Atlantic cultural connections and can be related to both the Ewart Park and Carp's Tongue hoard traditions/complexes.

Conclusion

The objects qualify as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act (1996) (Designation Order 2002) on account of representing a find comprising of more than two copper alloy objects and also by virtue of including two objects of gold that are more than 300 years old.

References

Eogan, G. 1969. ''Lock-Rings' of the Late Bronze Age', Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Vol. 67, 93-148

Gerloff, S. 2004. 'Hallstatt Fascination: 'Hallstatt' buckets, swords and chapes from Britain and Ireland', In Roche, H., Grogan, E., Bradley, J., Coles, J., and Raftery, B. (eds.) From Megaliths to Metal. Essays in Honour of George Eogan, Oxford: Oxbow Books, 124-54

Gerloff, S. 2010. Atlantic cauldrons and buckets of the Late Bronze and early Iron Ages in Western Europe, with a review of comparable vessels from Central Europe and

Italy, Prähistorische Bronzefunde, Abteilung II, 18, Stuttgart: Franz Steiner

Gwilt, A. et al. 2005. A Late Bronze Age Hoard from Trevalyn Farm, Rossett, Wrexham, Studia Celtica, XXXIX (2005), 27-61

Kenny, J. 2013. An archaeological investigation of the find-site of a late Bronze Age metalwork hoard at Ide's Common, Upwaltham, West Sussex, in November 2012, Unpublished report for Chichester District Council

Needham, S. 1990. The Petters Late of Bronze Age Metalwork: An Analytical Study of Thames Valley Metalworking in Its Settlement Context. London: British Museum.

Neil Wilkin

Curator of European Bronze Age, The British Museum

Mafalda Raposo

Volunteer, The British Museum

31st July 2013