Collar

This gold collar, also called a lunula, was probably found in Lanarkshire or Ayrshire. It is a high status ornament, either made in Ireland or imported from there, sometime between 2300 and 2000 BC.

The collar was made by hammering out the gold to a thin sheet. It was then decorated with incised lines and punched dots forming repetitive patterns of cross-hatching and triangles.

Gold collars or lunulae were originally made in Ireland, but were imported and copied throughout Britain, where they certainly functioned as symbols of power. Some of the decorative patterns were adopted from beaker pottery.

Record details

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Online ID:	000-100-036-516-C
Image Rights Holder:	National Museums Scotland
Project:	0098: National Museums Scotland Project description \| View all records in project
Ref:	National Museums Scotland X.FE 63
Date:	Between 2300 and 2000 BC
Material:	Gold; chased on both sides with circular lines, diagonals and triangles
Dimensions:	Weight 1055 grains
What:	Lunula
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Description:	Early Bronze Age gold lunula, probably from Lanarkshire or Ayrshire
References:	Clarke, D.V., Cowie, T.G., & Foxon, Andrew (eds). Symbols of power at the time of Stonehenge. Edinburgh: National Museums of Antiquities of Scotland, 1985, pp 183-6, 188-90, 261.
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