Object Description
A sturdy European Bronze Age bronze bangle with additional decoration in the form of a loose spiral of gold wire. The body of the bracelet is finely decorated with vertical incised lines around the outer edge, interspersed with geometric, double ‘V’ incisions. The gold spiral is mostly plain, with the segment before the finial twisted into a spiral before ending in a simple loop. The gold spiral is likely an earring which has been attached to the bronze band.
Spirals, especially in gold, were commonly associated with the Sun in ancient European culture, with a loose spiral representing the long days of summer and a tight spiral, the shorter days of winter. The combined nature of this piece is unusual, and the two pieces were likely combined together at the death of their original owner, to be placed amongst their burial goods. In the early Bronze Age in Europe, burials became more individual, with the deceased laid to rest in individual, rather than communal, barrows. As a result, grave goods became more varied and personalised.
Date: Circa 3200-600 BC