Menu
 
Portfolio
 
Terms of Use
 

Snettisham Hoard

The Snettisham Hoard or Snettisham Treasure is a series of discoveries of Iron Age precious metal, found in the Snettisham area of the English county of Norfolk between 1948 and 1973.

 

The hoard consists of the metal, jet, and over 150 gold/silver/copper alloy torc fragments, over 70 of which form complete torcs, dating from BC 70. Probably the most famous item from the hoard is the Great Torc from Snettisham, which is now held by the British Museum. Though the origins are unknown, it is of a high enough quality to have been a royal treasure of the Iceni.

 

Recent electron microscopy research by the British Museum reveals the wear patterns in the torcs, the chemical composition of the metal, and the cut marks which reduced many of the torcs into fragments. One hypothesis suggests the deliberate destruction of valuable items was a form of votive offering.

 

The Great Torc from Snettisham

This torc was made with great skill and tremendous care in the first half of the first century BC. It is one of the most elaborate golden objects made in the ancient world. Not even Greek, Roman, or Chinese gold workers living 2000 years ago made objects of this complexity.

 

The torc is made from just over a kilogram of gold mixed with silver. It is made from sixty-four threads. Each thread was 1.9 mm wide. Eight threads were twisted together at a time to make 8 separate ropes of metal. These were then twisted around each other to make the final torc. The ends of the torc were cast in molds. The hollow ends were then welded onto the ropes.

 

 

More posts..

Fenwick Treasure

Buried for safe-keeping below the floor of a house in Roman Colchester during the Boudican revolt in AD 61. The treasure consists of 26 Roman republican coins, mostly silver, and which had been kept in a bag; the remains of a small wooden and silver

Read More
Monmouth Castle

Monmouth Castle is a castle in the town of Monmouth, the county town of Monmouthshire, southeast Wales. It is a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument. Monmouth Castle is located close to the center of Monmouth on a hill above the River Monnow, behind

Read More
Cheddar Gorge & Caves

  Cheddar Gorge & Caves: People have used the caves in Cheddar Gorge for shelter for 40,000 years. We derive this from evidence found in and around the caves. Cheddar Man is famous as Britain’s oldest complete skeleton. Found buried in Gough’s Cave in 1903,

Read More
Windsor Castle

The original castle was built in the 11th century after the Norman invasion of England by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I, it has been used by the reigning monarch and is the longest-occupied palace in Europe. The castle’s lavish early 19th-century

Read More
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on pinterest
error: