Object: Hoard (Bronze Age)
Period: Bronze Age to BRONZE AGE (-1500 to -1100)
Material: Copper alloy 
Found: Hopton-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (Eastern)
Discovery method: Controlled archaeological investigation
Description: In September 2011 a Middle Bronze Age hoard comprising of six copper-alloy objects were excavated from the fill of a ditch during archaeological excavation conducted by Archaeological Solutions Ltd at Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk. The find comprised of: two quoit-headed pins, three spiral twisted torcs, a spiral twisted armring/bracelet and a plain penannularbracelet.



Description



1. [ENF 127270 (1167).1] Complete copper alloy quoit-headed pin. The shank is roughly circular sectioned and has a marked bend near the tip.  The shank with the lower part of the head is broken away from the rest of the head with what appears to be a recent break. The edges of the oval head are raised into slight flanges.  The surface is covered with corrosion products but is probably undecorated. 



Weight: 86g, Max length: 317mm; Max width of oval head loop: 165mm, Max width of oval head/loop: 124mm; Max width of head/loop: 6mm



2. [ENF 127270 (1167).5] Complete copper alloy quoit-headed pin. The shank is roughly circular sectioned and has a marked bend near the tip.  The break on this pin appears to be older, but is probably relatively recent. The edges of the oval head are raised into distinct flanges. The surface is covered with corrosion products but is probably undecorated.



Weight: 117g, Max length: 376mm; Max width of oval head loop: 167mm; Max height of oval head: 153mm; Max width of head/loop: 10mm



3. [ENF 127270 (1176).2] Complete copper alloy spiral twisted torc (or 'neckring') with plain hooked terminals.  The surface is covered with corrosion products so it is not clear whether the torc is bar twisted or cast.  The breaks are recent.



Weight: 91g, Max diameter: (somewhat oval) c.175mm by 160mm; Max width: 7mm



4. [ENF 127270 (1176).3] Complete copper alloy spiral twisted torc (or 'neckring') with plain hooked terminals. The surface is covered with corrosion products so it is not clear whether the torc is bar twisted or cast.  The breaks appear ancient.



Weight: 94g, Max diameter: (approximately circular), c.182mm by 186mm; Max width: 7mm



5. [ENF 127270 (1176).4] Incomplete copper alloy spiral twisted armring/bracelet. The surface is covered with corrosion products so it is not clear whether the bracelet is bar twisted or cast.  Both terminals are missing and the breaks are ancient.



Weight: 42g, Max diameter: (approximately circular but slightly misshapen) c.77mm 



6. [ENF 127270 (1167).6] Incomplete copper alloy plain penannular bracelet. The surface is relatively un-corroded.  Sub-circular in profile with slightly flattened internal face. Both terminals missing although are squared on the surviving parts.  The breaks are ancient.



Weight: 46g, Max diameter: (approximately circular) c.75mm 



Note on condition: The objects have been superficially cleaned but are in need of x-ray (which may reveal further detail) and conservation.



Discussion



The 'Hopton-on-Sea' hoard can be dated typologically to the Middle Bronze Age (c.1500-1100 BC). Their dating can be further narrowed down to type and metalwork phase. The quoit-headed pins, twisted torcs and bracelet are characteristic of the Middle Bronze Age 'ornament horizon' which has been dated to the Taunton and Penard metalwork phases (c.1400-1150 BC) (Roberts 2007, 139-41). 





There are several close parallels for 'ornament hoards' of this phase with a mixture of torcs, quoit-headed pins and bracelets/arm rings, for example the Barton Bendish hoard, Norfolk (Hawkes 1955, GB 7:2 (1-2); Rowlands 1976, 249, no. 93); the Monkswood hoard, Somerset (Smith 1959a, GB 42:2; Rowlands 1976, 257, no. 115) and the Taunton Union Workhouse hoard, Somerset (Smith 1959a, GB 43:2; Rowlands 1976, 258-9, no. 120).



Twisted neck-rings and bracelets have mostly been found in Southern England, especially in Wessex and East Anglia (Rowlands 1976, map 22; Roberts 2007, appendix). Four bronze spiral-twisted torcs from three sites are known from Norfolk (Ibid.), while only three spiral-twisted bracelet/armrings are known (Ibid.), all from the Barton Bendish hoard (Hawkes 1955, GB 7:2 (2)). Plain penannular bracelets are a relatively common feature of Middle Bronze Age hoards in Southern England and their Continental European parallels have been discussed by O'Connor (1980, 86-7, 467-8).



Quoit-headed pins are relatively rare: less than 60 are known (Pendleton, personal dataset; cf. Rowlands 1976, 86-7, map 21). Prior to the Hopton-on-Sea find, only nine quoit-headed pins were known from eight sites in Norfolk (Roberts 2007, Appendix; Robbins 2008; Crawford 2009). The Hopton-on-Sea examples are some of the largest, being the 5th and 7th longest recorded (C. Pendleton, personal dataset; cf. Rowlands 1976, 86). The largest are those from the Boughton Fen hoard, Norfolk at 435 mm; from the Pentney Hoard, Norfolk at 400mm; one of the Taunton Union Workhouse pins is c.400mm; the Newhaven area hoard, Sussex example is c.555mm and an unprovenanced pin in the British Museum is c.348mm long.  The recently excavated fragment from Lambourne, West Berkshire may also approach this size.  The Hopton pins also have the 3rd and 4th largest heads, only the Boughton Fen and Newhaven area pin heads are larger (C. Pendleton, personal dataset).



The two Hopton-on-Sea pins both have their tips bent.  This is a common feature on the larger pins suggesting it was deliberate and probably functional.  The flat section heads with flanges are also commonly found on both larger and smaller pins.  There are a range of other significant traits on quoit-headed pins.  Their form and size varies considerably yet there does not appear to be any identifiable regional traits, with examples of all types being found in the different regions of southern England (they occur mainly in East Anglia, the south coast and south-west).





It is notable that some of the objects in the hoard display ancient breaks, others are utilised or incomplete (though still usable) indicating this group is likely to be of a functional and personal nature, a common feature on most Middle Bronze Age hoards in the region. The torcs and quoit-headed pins appeared to have been deposited in the ditch fill as pairs of objects and there may therefore be some intentional grouping in the way the hoard was deposited.



Ornament hoards are a feature of the period in Continental Europe, particularly in NW France. Indeed, twisted torcs have close parallels in Continental Europe, especially the Nordic area (Smith 1959b, 149; O'Connor 1980, 79-80). However, quoit-headed pins are unique to southern England, the most northerly known so far coming from Ranby, Lincolnshire (Rowlands 1976, 86, map 21; cf. Roberts 2007, 143, fig. 4). The find therefore represents a collection of ornaments with both local (Southern English) and European parallels.



References 



Crawford, B. 2009. NMS-DD75D4 A BRONZE AGE PIN Webpage available at: http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/261892 [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013 12:22:01]



Hawkes, C.F. 1955. Grave-groups and Hoards of the British Bronze Age, Inventaria Archaeologica. 7, 1-8



O'Connor, B. 1980. Cross-Channel Relations in the Later Bronze Age. Relations between Britain, North-Eastern France and the Low Countries during the Later Bronze Age and Early Iron Age, with particular reference to the metalwork, British Archaeological Reports 91 (2 vols)



Robbins, K. 2008. NMS-A369A6 A BRONZE AGE PIN Webpage available at: http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/241652 [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013 12:22:43]



Roberts, B. 2007. Adorning the Living but Not the Dead: Understanding Ornaments in Britain c. 1400-1100 cal BC, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. 73 (2007), 135-67



Rowlands, M. J 1976. The Production and Distribution of Metalwork in the Middle Bronze Age in Southern Britain. British Archaeological Reports 31 (2 vols)



Smith, M.A. (ed.) 1959a. Middle Bronze Age hoards from Southern England. Inventaria Archaeologica. 7, 42-47



Smith, M.A. 1959b. Some Somerset hoards and their place in the Bronze Age of Southern Britain, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. 25 (1959), 144-87



Author: Dr Colin Pendleton, 14/10/11



Amended: Neil Wilkin, British Museum, 11/1/13
Notes: In terms of their age and the grouping of at least two prehistoric base-metal finds, this find qualifies as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act (1996) (Designation Order 2002).
Subsequent action: Donated to a museum after being disclaimed as Treasure