Object: Penannular Ring (Bronze Age)
Period: Bronze Age to BRONZE AGE (-1150 to -800)
Material: Gold Copper
Found: St. Donats, the Vale of Glamorgan, the Vale of Glamorgan (Wales)
Discovery method: Metal detector
Diameter: 16 mm
Thickness: 5 mm
Weight: 6.91 g
Description: This is a complete and small penannular ring (or 'hair-ring') decorated with gold foil and a silvery gold inlayed strip. It appears that the gold foil was wrapped around a copper core, and around this, in continuous spiral fashion a silvery gold strip was inlayed, to provide a striped colour effect. The stripes are wide, with four silvery gold inlayed stripes and five gold foil stripes evident around the ring. The terminals are flat-ended and not expanded, 1.3mm apart on the interior side and 2.7mm apart on the exterior side. Careful examination of the terminals shows the folded over gold foil, slightly detaching from the core beneath. In addition, a small piece of gold foil has also slightly detached from the interior surface, opposite the terminals. Slight compression tension lines, at right angles to the ring in plan, are evident in the surface on the interior face, suggesting that the ring may have been formed after the gold foil had been applied to a straight circular-sectioned copper rod. On one outer surface, there is an area of damage (6mm long by 3mm wide), where the gold foil and silvery gold strip are missing, revealing the exposed green copper core beneath. The surface of the silvery gold strip is noticeably more pitted than the gold foil. There are small nicks and scratches over the whole surface of the ring.
Notes: Discussion (by Adam Gwilt)



This penannular ring belongs to a class of artefact which has been termed 'hair-rings' and 'ring-money' (Taylor 1980; Green 1988; Eogan 1994; Varndell 2001; Hobbs 2003; Meeks et al 2008; O'Connor et al 2008). Their function remains uncertain, although it is likely that they were personal adornments, possibly worn on the ears or nose, rather than being hair-ornaments or items of exchange. Relatively few examples have been dated through associated finds, archaeological investigation or radiocarbon dating, however burials in Belgium, northeast France and The Netherlands and secondly, Scottish and Irish hoard associations, have suggested a date belonging to the Ewart Park phase of the Late Bronze Age, between 1000-800BC (e.g. Eogan 1997). However, in recent years, the evidence for their earlier currency has been growing. A number of simple 'hair-rings' of solid gold rod construction have been found within a gold hoard near Cirencester (Needham 2007, 26-33, Figs. 17.3-4). These were directly associated with twisted torc and bracelet fragments also belonging to the Penard phase of the Middle Bronze Age. In Ireland, 'hair-rings' have been discovered at excavated sites at Rathgall, Co. Wicklow and Ballypriorbeg, Co. Tyrone have also recently been radiocarbon dated to 1290-1040 cal BC and 1373-1019 cal BC respectively (Dunne 2003; Suddaby 2003, 82-4, 88; Raftery 2004, 87-8 ). Therefore, on current evidence, the penannular ring may be dated to the Middle or Late Bronze Age (1300-800BC).



'Hair-rings' are discovered in significant numbers across Ireland and England, with approaching 130 known in Ireland (Raftery 2004, 87) and approaching 100 known in England, 40 new examples of which have been reported over the past ten years alone, usually by metal detectorists (O'Connor et al 2008; DCMS 2008, 21-2, Nos. 17-25; British Museum 2009, 50, Nos. 44-7). A significant scatter is known, especially from burials across Belgium, northeast France and The Netherlands (Eluère 1982, 52-3; Eogan 1997) with a small but growing number also from Scotland (O'Connor et al 2008). This is the sixth known example from Wales, with examples known from Brynmill and Port Eynon, Swansea, 'Carmarthenshire', Ty Mawr, Anglesey and Graianog, Gwynedd (Gwilt 2000; 2004; 2009; Gwilt et al 2005, 40, Fig. 5, Nos. 2, 14 & 15).



The complex technology and compositions of a range of penannular rings within the British Museum collections has recently been studied in a systematic and considered manner (Meeks et al 2008). The St. Donats discovery appears to be most similar to their striped Group 3 examples, where silvery gold wire has been inlaid circumferentially into a gold core or gold foil. It most closely correlates with their Group 3d rings, defined as being gold foil plated copper alloy rings with silvery gold wire inlaid into the gold foil (Meeks et al 2008, 20 & Fig. 1x). However, closer comparison of the characteristics exhibited by examples from Wales (St. Donats, Port Eynon, Brynmill and Graianog) suggests further variations, not entirely captured within the British Museum study sample. For example, the St. Donats and Port Eynon examples appear to have wider stripes and copper cores, rather than the narrow stripes and copper alloy cores of the closest British Museum parallels. The three penannular rings from south Wales (St. Donats, Port Eynon and Brynmill) appear to be closely similar in size and construction. All are small with diameters of 15.5-17.1mm, with gold foil over copper cores and similar weights of 6.85-7.31g. By comparison, the Graianog example, though striped, is slightly larger at 17-19mm diameter, thicker and appreciably heavier at 11.22g, while the gold foil is over a bronze rather than copper core. At the time of the reporting of the Port Eynon penannular ring, in 1999, analytical testing led to an interpretation of an electrum plated copper core, with a gold tape or foil wound spirally around the ring to give the striped effect (Northover unpublished; Gwilt 2000). The recent British Museum study is instead suggesting that strips of silvery gold were inlaid around a gold core or alternatively a base metal core covered in gold foil. Further consideration and analysis will be required, before the precise technique for the decoration on the St. Donats example can be absolutely confirmed.



A search of the Heritage Environment Record for the locality did not reveal any known archaeological sites or contemporary artefacts finds within the field where the find was made. However, an Early Bronze Age cemetery is known at Somerset Farm Northwest, a few hundred metres from the find spot (PRN Nos. 00412s; 00413s; 03824s). An undated, but probably Medieval to post-Medieval holy well with two foci (PRN Nos. 03720s; 03721s) and linked to a watercourse and nearby Medieval chapel (PRN 00422s) is also known within a few hundred metres of the find. An undated burial is also known to have been found in the vicinity of the chapel in 1861 (PRN No. 00414s). While not directly contemporary with the penannular ring, an earlier burial focus could possibly have influenced the location of this find and burial context. Though the holy well is much later in date, the spring head and watercourse could also have been a significant landscape location during the Middle to Late Bronze Age.



References



British Museum (2009) Portable Antiquities and Treasure Annual Report 2007, London: British Museum.



DCMS (2002) The Treasure Act, Code of Practice (Revised) England & Wales, London: Department for Culture, Media and Sport.



DCMS (2007) Treasure Annual Report 2004, London: Department for Culture Media and Sport.



DCMS (2008) Treasure Annual Report 2005/6, London: Department for Culture Media and Sport.



Dunne, C.M. (2003) The Hair-Ring, In I. Suddaby, 2003, 78-9.



Eluère, C. (1982) Les Ors Préhistoriques, L'âge du bronze en France - 2, Paris: Picard.



Eogan, G. (1994) The Accomplished Art; Gold and Gold-working in Britain and Ireland during the Bronze Age (c. 2300-650 BC), Oxford: Oxbow Monograph 42.



Eogan, G. (1997) 'Hair-rings' and European Late Bronze Age Society, Antiquity, 71, 308-20.



Green, H.S. (1988) A Find of Bronze Age 'Ring Money' from Graianog, Llanllyfni, Gwynedd, Bulletin if the Board of Celtic Studies, 35, 87-91.



Green, H.S. (1988) A Find of Bronze Age 'Ring Money' from Graianog, Llanllyfni, Gwynedd, Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies 35(1), 87-91.



Gwilt, A. (2000) 13. Port Eynon, Swansea: Bronze Age penannular 'hair ring' of gold, electrum and copper, In DCMS, Treasure Annual Report 1998-1999, London: DCMS, 14-5 & Fig. 13..



Gwilt, A. (2004) 3A. Brynmill, Swansea, Wales: Late Bronze Age gold-covered penannular ring (NMGW 2002.1), In DCMS, Treasure Annual Report 2002, London: DCMS, 18 & Fig. 3A.



Gwilt, A. (2009) 40. Trearddur, Isle of Anglesey: gold penannular ring (PAS: NMGW- 9AC224; Treasure: Wales 07.23), In British Museum, 2009, 48 & 305.



Gwilt, A. Kucharski, K, Silvester, R. & Davis, M. (2005) A Late Bronze Age Hoard from Trevalyn Farm, Rossett, Wrexham, Studia Celtica, 39, 27-61.



Hobbs, R. (2003) Treasure: Finding our past, London: The British Museum Press.



Meeks, N.D., Craddock, P. & Needham, S.P. (2008) Bronze Age Penannular Gold Rings from the British Isles: Technology and Composition, Jewellery Studies 11, 13-30.



Needham, S.P. (2007) 17. Cirencester area, Glouceastershire: Bronze Age gold and base- metal scatter (2004 T416), In DCMS 2007, 26-33 & Figs. 17.1-6.



Northover, J.P. (1999) Analysis of a Piece of Ring-Money from Port Eynon, unpublished commissioned report.



O'Connor, B., Cowie, T. & Worrell, S. (2008) Ring money: dernières nouvelles d,outré- manche, Bulletin de l'Association pour la Promotion des Reserches sur l'Age du Bronze 5, 12-13.



Raftery, B. (2004) Pit 119: Rathgall, Co. Wicklow, In H. Roche et al, 2004, 83-90.



Roche, H., Grogan, E. Bradley, J. Coles, J. & Raftery, B. (2004) From Megaliths to Metals; Essays in Honour of George Eogan, Oxford: Oxbow.



Suddaby, I. (2003) The Excavation of Two Late Bronze Age Roundhouses at Ballyprior Beg, Island Magee, County Antrim, Ulster Journal of Archaeology 62, 45-91.



Taylor, JJ. (1980) Bronze Age Goldwork of the British Isles, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.



Varndell, G. (2001) Ringing the changes: when terminology matters, Antiquity 75, 515-6.
Subsequent action: Acquired by museum after being declared Treasure