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<< News >> Bronze Age gold ring declared treasure

Submitted by coldrum on Wednesday, 25 April 2007  Page Views: 9950

Neolithic and Bronze AgeCountry: England County: Hertfordshire
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A 3,000-YEAR-OLD gold ring found in Buntingford has been declared as treasure.

The penannular ring from the Bronze Age has been dated by an expert as being from between 1150BC and 750BC.

Hertfordshire coroner Edward Thomas ruled on Wednesday that a panel will decide on its value and any reward for its finder.

The ring, weighing two-fifths of an ounce (12.7g) features stripes in two tones of gold on a base of copper alloy and is about one inch (2.5cm) in diameter.

It was discovered buried four inches (10cm) deep in soil on August 6 last year by a metal detector after excavations on the site. The location cannot be disclosed to prevent other people conducting digs.

Gillian Varndell, the curator on the pre-history and Europe department at the British Museum who authenticated the ring, said that the department was familiar with penannular (almost ringlike) rings, but did not know where they were worn or what significance they held.

"People were not buried with them on them, so we are not sure how they were worn," she said.

"They were certainly not worn on the fingers, but could have been earrings or worn in the hair.

"Gold was as highly valued then as it is now, but we do not know if the shape of these rings was of any significance.

"It could have just been a popular aesthetic, but it could also have been of symbolic importance because they were made over a long span of time in a similar shape."

Mrs Varndell added that the discovery of the ring in Buntingford could point to what she described as "the background noise of a prehistoric settlement in Buntingford".

The find predates any recorded history of a settlement in the historic market town.

Buntingford did not feature in the Domesday Book of 1086, but is situated on Ermine Street, the Roman road running between London and York.

The valuation placed on the ring is likely to be in the region of £700-£1,000.

Mr Thomas said it might be acquired by a local museum for the public to see.

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'Gold find was like a win on the pools' by coldrum on Wednesday, 25 April 2007
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'Gold find was like a win on the pools'

THE finder of a 3,000-year-old gold ring in Buntingford has described his discovery as like "winning the pools".

Clive Nobbs, of Worthing in West Sussex, a self-confessed metal detecting "anorak", found the Bronze Age penannular ring on a specially-organised day in a field near Buntingford last August.

"The metal detecting club approached the farmer to see if we could search their land," Mr Nobbs said.

"The arrangement is that anything of value will be reported and any reward split with the landowner.

"You go out there to enjoy the location and the thrill of not knowing what you are going to find."

He added: "It is a very 'anoraky' hobby. The money is not the important bit - it is the thrill of finding something." At an inquest last week, coroner Edward Thomas ruled that a panel should decide on the value of the ring and a reward for the finder. It is thought it could fetch £700-£1,000.

As the Mercury reported, Gillian Varndell, the curator of the pre-history and Europe department at the British Museum, authenticated the gem as a penannular - almost ringlike - ring dating from 1150BC- 750BC.

It was found after almost six hours search ing a field with the metal detector, which can tell a valuable piece of metal from a worth less nail.

"The machine found something buried 12 or 14 inches [30cm-35cm] deep in the soil and made of a conductive metal, like gold or sil ver," said Mr Nobbs.

He dug up the patch of soil and unearthed the piece of ancient jewellery.

"I knew immediately it was a penannular ring," he said. "It is like winning the pools. They are one of those things that you are always hoping to find but are quite rare - only one or two of them are found by metal detectors each year.

"It was in a field where quite a few other people had been searching but I was the lucky one to stumble across the ring.

"Up until that point I had found nothing of interest, just a bit of farm rubbish."

Mr Nobbs said he hoped the ring would be put on display somewhere in the local area.

"These rings are interesting historical artefacts. Nobody can say for certain what they were used for, but this one showed wear on the inside, which suggests it was worn on belt or necklace.

"I think it was perhaps a medal of honour for a tribal leader or a dignitary."

The precise location where the ring was found cannot be disclosed to prevent other people conducting unauthorised digs.

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