Description

Summary: 1 shale belt ring with three connected V-perforations and a groove around the circumferance found with a primary crouched inhumation in bowl barrow Wimborne St. Giles G9, excavated by William Cunnington

Research results

A Bronze Age shale pulley or belt ring, excaved by William Cunnington. The belt ring was found with the crouched primary inhumation of barrow Wimborne St. Giles G9, alongside a dagger, jet button and other grave goods. The ring has three V-shaped perforations to allow it to be attached to a strap or cord, two of which have been worn through, as well as a worn, deep groove around the other side. Similar rings are often found as grave goods in Beaker burials, an example was found with the famous Amesbury Archer, for example, and the earliest examples are in wood and bone and have continental parallels. Thick jet and shale examples such as this are thought to be later, and in its association with a late series 2 dagger, this is may be the latest known example.

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.