Banc Ty'nddôl sun-disc
Encyclopedia
The Banc Ty'nddôl sun-disc is a small, decorated, gold
ornament discovered at Cwmystwyth
, Ceredigion
, Wales
. It most likely was part of a funerary garment and is more than 4,000 years old, which makes it the earliest gold artifact found in Wales.
It was discovered on October 16, 2002 by a team of archaeologists who were investigating the site of Roman
and Medieval lead
smelting
hearth
s below the Bronze Age
copper
mine on Copa Hill.
.
sites date to the Roman
(first century AD) and Early Medieval (ninth to twelfth century AD) periods, but one of the most important finds of the excavation was the gold disc about the size of a milk-bottle top, which pre-dated these discoveries by more than 2,000 years.
Upon further investigation it was determined that the absence of identifiable skeletal remains and of only a thin film with insufficient collagen, precluded accurate Carbon-14
(C14) dating.
and a negligible amount of copper. It is decorated with concentric line and dot circles and pierced by two central holes, apparently for attachment. The design was determined to belong to the Primary Bell Beaker
Goldwork Tradition. Even though the exact source for the metal cannot be established, the composition appears consistent with that for Irish, Scottish, and Welsh alluvial gold. The disc most likely was made for a funerary garment and possibly, to symbolize the life-giving power of the sun. Further investigation of the discovery site revealed skeletal remains that once were covered over by a mound of stones, known as a cairn
. The grave was located within a crescent of boulders and was oriented to look down the valley to the west—a poignant resting place for the person wearing one of Wales's first metal discs derived from native gold.
Similar artifacts have been found in Ireland
, The Isle of Man
, and Brittany
.
Most known examples of this class of 'sun-disc' have been found in Ireland (21), with smaller numbers from Scotland (6), England (5), and similar examples from France. This is the first example to be found in Wales and thought to be the earliest gold artifact from Wales, probably belonging to the slightly later established Beaker phase (c. 2000 BC). The Banc Ty'nddôl disc most closely resembles an example from Ireland that remains without provenance, having two-four linear circles in repoussé and two central perforations. A similar style with repoussé dots is to be found in an example from Kirk Andreas
in The Isle of Man.
In Brittany, gold discs with similar dot and linear decoration have been discovered in Neolithic
tombs and they also appear to be associated with early Beaker (Chalcolithic) abandonment deposits. In Britain, three examples have been found associated with two Beaker burials (one as a pair, and one as a single find) at Mere and Farleigh Wick in Wiltshire
.
The similarities in style and decorative technique between the Banc Ty'nddôl disc and 'basket earrings' or gold hair tress ornaments associated with rich Beaker burials is striking. Examples from Kirkhaugh, Northumberland
had been tooled similarly on the surface as a means of enhancing the repoussé lines applied to the back, a detail precisely matched on the Banc Ty'nddôl disc. The Kirkhaugh basket earring and other items from similar burial sites can all be dated to the period between 2500–1900 BC.
.
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
ornament discovered at Cwmystwyth
Cwmystwyth
Cwmystwyth is a village located in Ceredigion, Wales near Devil's Bridge, and Pont-rhyd-y-groes.The Ordnance Survey calculates Cwmystwyth to be the Centre point of Wales, - History :See Cwmystwyth Mines...
, Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It most likely was part of a funerary garment and is more than 4,000 years old, which makes it the earliest gold artifact found in Wales.
It was discovered on October 16, 2002 by a team of archaeologists who were investigating the site of Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and Medieval lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
smelting
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
hearth
Hearth
In common historic and modern usage, a hearth is a brick- or stone-lined fireplace or oven often used for cooking and/or heating. For centuries, the hearth was considered an integral part of a home, often its central or most important feature...
s below the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
mine on Copa Hill.
History
The area around Cwmystwyth, has been mined for lead and copper for more than 4,000 years, almost since the beginning of metalworking in the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
.
Site excavation
Excavation now has shown that these miningMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
sites date to the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
(first century AD) and Early Medieval (ninth to twelfth century AD) periods, but one of the most important finds of the excavation was the gold disc about the size of a milk-bottle top, which pre-dated these discoveries by more than 2,000 years.
At the time of its discovery, it seemed uncertain as to whether the gold object had ever been intentionally deposited; no earlier archaeological features were at that time identified, whilst its shallow find-spot suggested that it had been disturbed and re-deposited some distance downslope from its original burial context. However, the object was at that time identified and reported to HM Coroner for Ceredigion as a Treasure find on 30 October 2002, whilst further study of the find continued, and a follow-up investigation of the find spot was planned. Given concerns over the possibility of further artefacts remaining within the ground by virtue of association with the disc, also potential treasure, re-excavation of the site took place in March 2003, with funding from the National Museums and Galleries of Wales.
Samples of soil containing degraded bone fragments were collected for dating along with charcoal from in and around the grave. Insufficient collagenCollagenCollagen is a group of naturally occurring proteins found in animals, especially in the flesh and connective tissues of mammals. It is the main component of connective tissue, and is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content...
survived to provide any sort of reliable date from the bone, whilst the three samples of charcoal recovered from the grave fill proved to be intrusive; one suggesting Mesolithic activity associated with the pre-burial land surface (OxA-12983: 8850 ± 40 [8210–7760 CalBC]), another a Late Roman date for the ground surface covering the edge of the grave (OxA-12955: 1675 ± 28 [320–430 Cal AD]), whilst the third consisted of a single piece of oak charcoal derived from the Early Medieval smelting horizon above (OxA-12956: 1264 ± 27 [670–840 Cal AD]). Whilst not providing us with any clear answer, these results do at least support the possibility of a prehistoric burial.
Upon further investigation it was determined that the absence of identifiable skeletal remains and of only a thin film with insufficient collagen, precluded accurate Carbon-14
Carbon-14
Carbon-14, 14C, or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with a nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic materials is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and colleagues , to date archaeological, geological, and hydrogeological...
(C14) dating.
Detailed description
The disc is 38.9mm in diameter, with a weight of 2.51g, made of a very pure gold that is composed of between 93% and 94% gold, 6% and 7% silverSilver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and a negligible amount of copper. It is decorated with concentric line and dot circles and pierced by two central holes, apparently for attachment. The design was determined to belong to the Primary Bell Beaker
Beaker culture
The Bell-Beaker culture , ca. 2400 – 1800 BC, is the term for a widely scattered cultural phenomenon of prehistoric western Europe starting in the late Neolithic or Chalcolithic running into the early Bronze Age...
Goldwork Tradition. Even though the exact source for the metal cannot be established, the composition appears consistent with that for Irish, Scottish, and Welsh alluvial gold. The disc most likely was made for a funerary garment and possibly, to symbolize the life-giving power of the sun. Further investigation of the discovery site revealed skeletal remains that once were covered over by a mound of stones, known as a cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
. The grave was located within a crescent of boulders and was oriented to look down the valley to the west—a poignant resting place for the person wearing one of Wales's first metal discs derived from native gold.
Similar artifacts have been found in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, The Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, and Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
.
Most known examples of this class of 'sun-disc' have been found in Ireland (21), with smaller numbers from Scotland (6), England (5), and similar examples from France. This is the first example to be found in Wales and thought to be the earliest gold artifact from Wales, probably belonging to the slightly later established Beaker phase (c. 2000 BC). The Banc Ty'nddôl disc most closely resembles an example from Ireland that remains without provenance, having two-four linear circles in repoussé and two central perforations. A similar style with repoussé dots is to be found in an example from Kirk Andreas
Andreas (parish)
Andreas is a parish in the Sheading of Ayre lying in the north of the Isle of Man. It is one of three parishes along with Bride and Lezayre in the sheading of Ayre.-Geography:The parish stretches from Lhen Moar, along the north-western coast to Bride...
in The Isle of Man.
In Brittany, gold discs with similar dot and linear decoration have been discovered in Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
tombs and they also appear to be associated with early Beaker (Chalcolithic) abandonment deposits. In Britain, three examples have been found associated with two Beaker burials (one as a pair, and one as a single find) at Mere and Farleigh Wick in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.
The similarities in style and decorative technique between the Banc Ty'nddôl disc and 'basket earrings' or gold hair tress ornaments associated with rich Beaker burials is striking. Examples from Kirkhaugh, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
had been tooled similarly on the surface as a means of enhancing the repoussé lines applied to the back, a detail precisely matched on the Banc Ty'nddôl disc. The Kirkhaugh basket earring and other items from similar burial sites can all be dated to the period between 2500–1900 BC.
Current status
The disc was declared a treasure in December 2003 and has since been acquired by the Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum WalesNational Museum Wales
Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, formerly the National Museums and Galleries of Wales, comprises eight museums in Wales:* National Museum Cardiff* St Fagans: National History Museum, Cardiff* Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenavon...
.
Archaeologists
- Simon Timberlake: Excavations Director, Early Mines Research Group, Cambridge CB5 8ST, UK.
- Adam Gwilt: Later Prehistorian, Department of Archaeology, National Museum & Gallery of Wales, CF10 3NP, UK.
- Mary Davis: Archaeological Conservator, National Museum & Gallery of Wales, Cardiff CF10 3NP, UK.