Object: Ribbon (Bronze Age)
Period: Bronze Age to BRONZE AGE (-1500 to -800)
Material: Gold 
Found: Alrewas, Lichfield, Staffordshire (West Midlands)
Discovery method: Metal detector
Length: 13.2 mm
Thickness: 4 mm
Weight: 1.1 g
Description: An incomplete strip of decorated gold, of probable Bronze Age dating (c. 1500 BC to c. 800 BC).



The strip of gold is sub rectangular in shape and has been folded into a sub triangular shape. The strip has been decorated with a series of embossed ridges along its length. One end has a relatively straight and smooth cut edge, the other end is hidden inside the folds. 



It measures 13.2 mm in length, 4.4. mm wide and 4.0 mm thick. It weighs 1.1 g.



Similar strips of gold with ribbed decoration have been recorded on the PASdatabase including WMID-fe3c28, ESS-C13B97, SUR-1B64F5, NMS-46A4D6, PAS-E9E2A1, SF-D30D10, LIN-946F12 and WAW-052196.



Similar multi-grooved strips of a Bronze Age date are known from throughout Britain including in the British Museum collection from Flixton, Yorkshire (2004,0904.1a-b, Treasure Annual Report 2003, 16. no. 2) and Ravencliff Cave, Derbyshire (British Museum 1906,1224.1-2) as well as recent finds such as Ansley, Warwickshire and West Acre Norfolk (Treasure Annual Report 2007, 47-48). A very similar strip from Sproxton, North Yorkshire is recorded on the PAS database as LVPL-83FE92. There is also a similar grooved strip from The Hamel, Oxford, Oxfordshire excavated from a layer which yielded Beaker pottery of the Early Bronze Age (Palmer 1980, 124-134). Similar narrow embossed strips are known from the pommels of daggers accompanying Early Bronze Age burials in Scotland (Henshall 1968, 173-95; Hardaker 1974, 21-23. fig 6.; Taylor 1980, fig 28a-f) but not however comparable to gold dagger fittings in contemporary burials southern England. Other Bronze Age gold strips found singly such as at Flixton, Yorkshire (British Museum 2004,0904.1a-b, Treasure Annual Report 2003, 16, no. 2) are broader and have more and narrower incised grooves. The annular ring from the Late Bronze Age hoard at Abia de la Obispalia, central Spain is comparable in form and dimensions but the grooves appear to have been incised rather than embossed (Almagro Gorbea 1974). Similarly, the Bronze Age annular ring from Armissan, southeast France may be comparable (Eluère 1981, 48-49, fig. 55).



As this fragment is older than 300 years in age, with a precious metal content of greater than 10%, it should be considered as potential Treasure under the Treasure Act 1996.



References



Alamagro Gorbea M. 1974, Orfebrería del Bronce Final en la Peninsula Ibérica. El Tesoro de Abia de la Obispalía, la orfebrería tipo Villena y los cuencos de Axtroki, Trabajos de Prehistoria, 31, 39 - 100



Case, H. 1980, 'Pottery, Flint and Metalwork' In Palmer, N. 1981, 'A Beaker Burial and Medieval Tenements in the Hamel, Oxford', Oxoniensia, XLV (1980), [Mircofiche], 1 A04



Eluère, C. 1982, Les Ors Prèhistoriques, Paris: Picard



Henshall, A.S. 1968, 'Scottish dagger graves', In Coles, J.M. & Simpson, D.D.A. (eds), Studies in Ancient Europe: Essays present to Stuart Piggott, Leicester: Leicester University Press



Palmer, N. 1980, 'A Beaker Burial and Medieval Tenements in the Hamel, Oxford', Oxoniensia, XLV (1980), 124-225
Notes: 3D model has been generated using mobile phone scanning application Qlone.
Subsequent action: Returned to finder after being disclaimed as Treasure