Description

Summary: 13 amber beads (found with 6 bi-conical shale beads STHEAD.50a) from an amber and shale necklace found with a secondary (?) cremation in bowl barrow Upton Lovell G2e, excavated by William Cunnington

Research results

A group of 13 amber plates from a necklace (or necklaces) excavated in association with a probable secondary cremation underneath the 'Golden Barrow' (Upton Lovell G2e) by William Cunnington. Some of the survivors of the 'over 1000' amber beads excavated by Cunnington, found alongside seven fragments of spacers and a terminal plate. Of various different forms, these beads are on the whole slightly larger and generally do not fit in with the other beads thought to comprise this necklace and they may or may not form a part of it. The spacers and the majority of the beads were excavated by Cunnington in 1803, however he would return to the barrow in 1807 and reported to find further amber beads; it is not clear whether these are from the same burial or necklace.

This object was examined as part of the research published in Ritual in Early Bronze Age Grave Goods; a six-year research project carried out by Professor John Hunter and Dr Anne Woodward and funded by the Leverhulme Trust. Aided by a large number of other specialists the pair undertood an exhuastive study examining over 1000 objects held in 13 museums across the country in order to provide an extensive overview of burial practices in the period and identify regional practices.