Hair ornaments of copper and gold

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These six gilt copper and gold penannular rings were probably hair ornaments. They are part of a hoard of jewellery and other items buried in a pot sometime between 950 and 750 BC, and ploughed up at Balmashanner in Angus. They were made in Ireland.

The three rings with a circular cross section were made of a thin plate of gold covering a copper core. The three on the bottom are made of a thin plate of beaten gold. The one on the bottom right has been decorated with incised lines in panels.

The Balmashanner hoard demonstrates how extensive and complex were the contacts between Scotland and the outside world during the early first millennium BC. The contents came from Ireland, northern Europe, north-west Europe and the eastern Alps.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-100-034-573-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  X.DQ 160
• Date: Between 950 and 750 BC
  
• Material: Thin exterior plate of gold enclosing a copper core
  Thin exterior plate of gold enclosing a copper core
  Thin exterior plate of gold enclosing a copper core
  Thin plate of gold; penannular
  Thin plate of gold; penannular
  Thin plate of gold; penannular
  Capsule
  Capsule
  Capsule
  Ring, penannular
  Ring, penannular
  Ring, penannular
  
• Dimensions: 0.63" D
  0.81" D
  0.88" D
  1.00" D
  1.00" D
  1.00" D
  
• What: Capsule
  Capsule
  Capsule
  Ring, penannular
  Ring, penannular
  Ring, penannular
  
• Subject:
• Who:
• Where: Scotland, Angus, Balmashanner
  Scotland, Angus, Balmashanner
  Scotland, Angus, Balmashanner
  Scotland, Angus, Balmashanner
  Scotland, Angus, Balmashanner
  Scotland, Angus, Balmashanner
  
• Event:
• Description: Penannular ring consisting of a thin exterior plate of gold enclosing a copper core, from Balmashanner
  Penannular ring consisting of a thin exterior plate of gold enclosing a copper core, from Balmashanner
  Penannular ring consisting of a thin exterior plate of gold enclosing a copper core, from Balmashanner
  Capsule of penannular form made of a thin plate of gold, from Balmashanner
  Capsule of penannular form made of a thin plate of gold, from Balmashanner
  Capsule of penannular form made of a thin plate of gold, from Balmashanner
  
• References:
  • Coles, John M. Scottish late Bronze Age metalwork: typology, distributions and chronology. Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 93 (1959-1960), pp 16-134, esp. pp 98-9. 
• Translations:
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