Description

Summary: Hundreds of minute gold pins (1mm long) from inlaid dagger handle 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

A collection of hundreds of Bronze Age gold wire studs, originally inlaid into the handle of a dagger excavated from Bush Barrow (Wilsford G5) by William Cunnington in 1808. These were part of one of two daggers both found immediately infront of the crouched male primary burial. As is still visible on some of the more complete fragments of the hilt, these studs were originally inlaid in a banded pattern of chevrons and zig-zags, in a style of decoration which is thought to have originated in modern day northern France, similar to the style of dagger blade with which it was associated. However, recent analysis of the metal has suggested that it is indistinguishable from that circulating in the British Isles at the time and had a probable source in Cornwall, although this does not rule out the hilt being produced on the continent. Each rivet is approximately 1mm long and 0.25mm in diameter, and was placed into an indivually pre-drilled socket. Fragments of a pair of bradawl heads found amognst the studs probably relate to this process, having been broken off during drilling and become embedded in the wood.

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.

This object was on loan to the University of Leicester (February 2023) for wear and compositional analyses. Non-destructive techniques using microscopes, X-Ray Fluorescence and a Scanning Electron Microscope. The project will improve our understanding about how the objects were made, used and deposited. This research, funded by the British Academy, was led by Dr Rachel Crellin, and supported by Dr Christina Tsoraki, Dr Oliver Harris and Dr Christopher Standish. 'From Prestige to Practice: Shedding New Light on Early Bronze Age Gold through Microwear and Scanning Electron Microscope Analysis'. Results are expected in 2024.