Description

Summary: 9 wooden fragments of dagger haft containing an inlay of minute gold pins, 1mm long, originally forming a zig-zag pattern (destroyed en-route to Stourhead) found with primary male inhumation in bowl barrow Wilsford G5, excavated by William Cunnington

Research results

Nine fragments from the gold-studded wooden hilt of a Bronze Age Dagger, excavated from Bush Barrow (Wilsford G5) by William Cunnington in 1808. These fragments, along with numerous loose studs, are all that remain of the decorated handles of the daggers found buried infront of the torso of the primary crouched inhumation. These fragments probably belong to the handle of the smaller of the two daggers. A water colour illustration by Phillip Crocker close to the time of discovery illustrates a pattern of zig-zags and chevrons, some elements of which are still visible in the larger surviving fragments. This style of decoration is found more commonly on daggers from barrows in Brittany, and required exceptional time investment. The denisty of studs has been calculated as 1,056 studs per cm squared, resulting in a probable total of around 138,000 studs for this handle alone. Each of these studs is placed in an individually drilled hole, and was formed by twisting a square rod of gold before forming the head. Recent analysis of the gold used suggests a source in Cornwall, implying the raw material may have been exported or that a continental gold worker was brought across the channel. One thing is certain: the craftsperson who made this handle must have been exceptionally short sighted to have produced such an intricate product by the naked eye.

One of the gold studs associated with the hilt of this dagger was analysed by Dr Chris Standish of Southampton University. Analysis of trace lead isotopes found that the alloy used in the production of the studs is indistinguishable from the gold circulating in Ireland in this period and that a source in Wales or Cornwall is most likely. That gold from this source appears to have made it as far as Orkney means that there is every chance that it could have been exported to Armorica prior to being worked, however it does also raise the possiblity of an association with the local sheet-gold cover metal working tradition.

The Bush Barrow daggers are discussed in detail by Corfield (2012), publishing the results of research he had undertaken in the mid-1980s. He discusses both daggers in the context of similar hilts from Britanny and carries out detailed description of the surviving elements of the daggers based on X-radiographs and microscopic analysis; he also describes the presence of minute awl tips within the assemblage of surviving gold wire studs - supporting the suggestion that the holes for the studs had been pre-drilled. Based on the surviving fragments, he calculates a density of 1,056 studs per centimetre squared, which would result in a total of 138,000 studs for one of the daggers alone!

The Bush Barrow grave is discussed in detail by Needham et al. (2010), who return to Cunnington and Hoare's original notes and publications in order to reassess recontructions of the primary inhumation's layout. They argue for a more typical crouched inhumation, led on its left side, and possition the grave goods accordingly based on Cunnington's descriptions. Their new reconstruction highlights the distance of a small group of rivets and fragments from the rest of the group. Previously interpretted as a helmet or alidade, they reinterpret these as the remains of a dagger with a studded hilt, typical of a period earlier than the rest of the assemblage and suggesting the burial may have disturbed an earlier inhumation.

The hilt and gold studs from Bush Barrow have been examined by Papadimitriou et al (2021) who have also produced experimental replicas. The authors compare the gold-studded decoration seen on daggers in Southern Britain and Britanny, with that seen on daggers and swords in slightly later Mycenaean graves in Greece. They note that whilst there are specific technical differences in the production of the gold wire studs, the overall process and style is so similar that independent origins seem unlikely - both, for example, place the gold studs in pre-drilled holes probably using a glue or resin to hold them in place. They highlight possible chronological overlap between the two styles, and also that earlier examples in Greece are more similar to the North-West European examples than later. Finally, they note that the earliest occurance of this style in Greece, in the Mycenae Grave Circle A, is found alongside amber spacer-plate necklaces, another object type associated with the Early Bronze Age of North-Western Europe.

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.