Fragments of bronze headdress

These sheet bronze ornaments were found at Migdale in Sutherland, in a hoard containing an axehead and personal ornaments. The strip and cones may have been part of a headdress, complimented by the basket-shaped hair ornament.

The strip and cones originally had an organic core. They may have formed part of an elaborate woman's headdress of central-north European style. Tubular sheet bronze beads with wooden cores from the hoard were also part of this.

The Migdale hoard demonstrates that the elite in north-east Scotland had important contacts across the North Sea between 2250 and 1950 BC.

Record details

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• Online ID: 000-100-034-744-C
• Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
• Project: National Museums Scotland
  Project description   View all records in project
• Ref: National Museums Scotland  X.DQ 359
• Date: Between 2250 and 1950 BC
  
• Material: Sheet bronze; bent with rounded end so that the two faces lie parallel; upper surface decorated by a row of transversely set lenticular bosses, outlined and the background filled with strokes, a row of dots along each border
  Sheet bronze; narrow hook end; flat broken plate
  Sheet bronze; one straight long edge remaining; longer axis very slightly curved; broken
  Sheet bronze; part of edge with perforation
  Sheet bronze; part of one perforation remaining
  Sheet bronze; remains of two perforations
  Sheet bronze; two small perforations
  Sheet bronze; with part of perforation
  Ornament, ear
  Sheet bronze / cone
  Sheet bronze / cone
  Sheet bronze / cone
  Sheet bronze / cone
  Sheet bronze / cone
  Sheet bronze / fragment
  Sheet bronze / strip
  
• Dimensions: 0.30" H x 0.90" D
  0.45" H x 1.00" D
  0.50" H x 0.90" D
  0.70" W
  0.70" x 0.50"
  0.90" across
  1.20" max remaining L; hook end 0.55" L
  1.65" x 1.00"
  
• What: Ornament, ear
  Sheet bronze / cone
  Sheet bronze / cone
  Sheet bronze / cone
  Sheet bronze / cone
  Sheet bronze / cone
  Sheet bronze / fragment
  Sheet bronze / strip
  
• Subject:
• Who:
• Where: Scotland, Sutherland, Migdale
  Scotland, Sutherland, Migdale
  Scotland, Sutherland, Migdale
  Scotland, Sutherland, Migdale
  Scotland, Sutherland, Migdale
  Scotland, Sutherland, Migdale
  Scotland, Sutherland, Migdale
  Scotland, Sutherland, Migdale
  
• Event:
• Description: Strip of sheet bronze, bent with rounded end so that the two faces lie parallel, the upper surface decorated with a row of transversely set lenticular bosses, from Migdale
  Cone of sheet bronze from Migdale
  Cone of sheet bronze from Migdale
  Cone of sheet bronze from Migdale
  Cone of sheet bronze from Migdale
  Cone of sheet bronze from Migdale
  Ear ornament of sheet bronze from Migdale
  Broken piece of sheet bronze from Migdale
  
• 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 111, 149, 187, 302-3. 
• Translations:
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