Staffordshire Iron Age Gold Find Unveiled , Dating between 400–250 BC

The new treasures were dug up just 45 miles from where the massive Staffordshire Hoard was discovered in 2009 , although this hoard is smaller and much older.

Pic of one of the Torcs showing intricate design work.


The new discovery consists of 4 Iron Age Torcs which were discovered by amateur metal detectorists Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania , here's a 5 min video of Joe and Mark explaining their discovery , the Torcs and some experts.


The Torcs are believed to be the earliest examples of Iron Age gold ever discovered in Britain , thanks to the honesty of Joe and Mark we get to see them and archaeologists get to study them.
Cheers guys.

I saw this today and find the intricate detail fascinating. The Iron Age certainly had some talented Goldsmith's.

Beautiful examples and fair play to the guys who found them.

a reply to: Cobaltic1978

The more I learn about Iron Age Britain the more I think it would have been a good time to be alive , living in small communities growing what you need and bartering for what you want.

originally posted by: gortex
The new treasures were dug up just 45 miles from where the massive Staffordshire Hoard was discovered in 2009 , although this hoard is smaller and much older.

Pic of one of the Torcs showing intricate design work.

The new discovery consists of 4 Iron Age Torcs which were discovered by amateur metal detectorists Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania , here's a 5 min video of Joe and Mark explaining their discovery , the Torcs and some experts.

The Torcs are believed to be the earliest examples of Iron Age gold ever discovered in Britain , thanks to the honesty of Joe and Mark we get to see them and archaeologists get to study them.
Cheers guys.

Remarkably fine quality find by the honest Joes. Funny thing though, the video caption mentions Northern Britain, while Staffordshire is the West Midlands..not that it matters that much really. I lived there with an aunt for a few years in Tamworth.
It would be interesting to find out what those things are for, it's more than likely they would have been some kind of 'luxury' item.
In edit, I found this one in particular. It was discovered in Norfolk, dated to 1st century BC, and known as the sneddiston Torc.



files.abovetopsecret.com...

originally posted by: smurfy

originally posted by: gortex
The new treasures were dug up just 45 miles from where the massive Staffordshire Hoard was discovered in 2009 , although this hoard is smaller and much older.

Pic of one of the Torcs showing intricate design work.

The new discovery consists of 4 Iron Age Torcs which were discovered by amateur metal detectorists Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania , here's a 5 min video of Joe and Mark explaining their discovery , the Torcs and some experts.

The Torcs are believed to be the earliest examples of Iron Age gold ever discovered in Britain , thanks to the honesty of Joe and Mark we get to see them and archaeologists get to study them.
Cheers guys.

Remarkably fine quality find by the honest Joes. Funny thing though, the video caption mentions Northern Britain, while Staffordshire is the West Midlands..not that it matters that much really. I lived there with an aunt for a few years in Tamworth.
It would be interesting to find out what those things are for, it's more than likely they would have been some kind of 'luxury' item.

Anything North of Worcestershire is Oop North to us soft southerners.

Either they were worn by the Chieftan to show their importance or as they are horn shaped, maybe some fertility thing?

Of course it probably isn't either.

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978
Anything North of Worcestershire is Oop North to us soft southerners.

.

I heard Watford

originally posted by: Marduk

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978
Anything North of Worcestershire is Oop North to us soft southerners.

.

I heard Watford

I live in the West Country, not the South East.

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: Cobaltic1978

The more I learn about Iron Age Britain the more I think it would have been a good time to be alive , living in small communities growing what you need and bartering for what you want.

I'm torn on this.

It'd be breathtaking to see our lands when they were dense with ancient forests and utterly free of light pollution. The dusky skies would be almost blacked out by flocks of birds preparing to roost and there'd be such a diversity of land mammals. The rivers would teeming with freshwater shrimps, otters and salmon.

As humans, we'd be riddled with intestinal worms and prone to water-borne infections. A cut could lead to death. Most babies would die in their first months and mothers died in child-birth as a fact of life. It was standard to die before hitting your 20s.Tough times for all!

Then again, can you imagine how clear their minds were? No football scores, no weather reports and no bills to worry about. They didn't have memory space taken up with lists of favourite albums or that scene from a favourite movie. Smaller vocabularies and their whole world barely extended beyond the horizon. Man, it sounds like peace.

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978

originally posted by: smurfy

originally posted by: gortex
The new treasures were dug up just 45 miles from where the massive Staffordshire Hoard was discovered in 2009 , although this hoard is smaller and much older.

Pic of one of the Torcs showing intricate design work.

The new discovery consists of 4 Iron Age Torcs which were discovered by amateur metal detectorists Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania , here's a 5 min video of Joe and Mark explaining their discovery , the Torcs and some experts.

The Torcs are believed to be the earliest examples of Iron Age gold ever discovered in Britain , thanks to the honesty of Joe and Mark we get to see them and archaeologists get to study them.
Cheers guys.

Remarkably fine quality find by the honest Joes. Funny thing though, the video caption mentions Northern Britain, while Staffordshire is the West Midlands..not that it matters that much really. I lived there with an aunt for a few years in Tamworth.
It would be interesting to find out what those things are for, it's more than likely they would have been some kind of 'luxury' item.

Anything North of Worcestershire is Oop North to us soft southerners.

Either they were worn by the Chieftan to show their importance or as they are horn shaped, maybe some fertility thing?
Of course it probably isn't either.

Funny thing is I am a southerner, and the old adage there is that anything north of Watford gap is the north
I loved the time I spent in Staffordshire though, nice part of the country, and quite rural too in places.
It does indeed seem that most of these things were destined for the big chief, and that they were worn on different parts of the body, (all according to size) that is, so that part seems to be known.
What they may have represented is something of a mystery, while it appears that they were more than just an ornament.

originally posted by: Kandinsky

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: Cobaltic1978

The more I learn about Iron Age Britain the more I think it would have been a good time to be alive , living in small communities growing what you need and bartering for what you want.

I'm torn on this.

It'd be breathtaking to see our lands when they were dense with ancient forests and utterly free of light pollution. The dusky skies would be almost blacked out by flocks of birds preparing to roost and there'd be such a diversity of land mammals. The rivers would teeming with freshwater shrimps, otters and salmon.

As humans, we'd be riddled with intestinal worms and prone to water-borne infections. A cut could lead to death. Most babies would die in their first months and mothers died in child-birth as a fact of life. It was standard to die before hitting your 20s.Tough times for all!

Then again, can you imagine how clear their minds were? No football scores, no weather reports and no bills to worry about. They didn't have memory space taken up with lists of favourite albums or that scene from a favourite movie. Smaller vocabularies and their whole world barely extended beyond the horizon. Man, it sounds like peace.

Dammit woman, I was already there from Gorty's piece, and I thought no having to get your hair cut great, just a long flowing golden-orange mane...OMG I'm Trump...help, help help....

a reply to: Kandinsky

Then again, can you imagine how clear their minds were? No football scores, no weather reports and no bills to worry about.

Exactly mate , your job back then was being alive and making sure your family and community stayed alive , life was simple and no doubt at times hard but I think although shorter was perhaps more fulfilling than our modern existence.

I bet they had great parties

a reply to: gortex

Yeah, if you were born in the right community, it could have been an awesome life.

No alarm clocks lol. No decent beer either...

It'd definitely be a time to visit if we had the opportunity. Not sure about staying there though!

1st century BC, so the stuff is likely Roman.

a reply to: TinfoilTP

They were made at least 150 years before the Roman's first excursion over here so no not Roman.

Amazing artistry!

Yeah, not sure if I'd call it heavenly. Rape and pillaging were the 1st things I thought of. Humans are terrible to each other.

originally posted by: TinfoilTP
1st century BC, so the stuff is likely Roman.

Celtic, Probably Germany.

a reply to: TinfoilTP

The Romans under Julius Caesar first came over about 49 bc , these Torcs date between 200-400 bc so well before the Romans.

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: TinfoilTP

They were made at least 150 years before the Roman's first excursion over here so no not Roman.

Traded with Romans?

originally posted by: Soloprotocol

originally posted by: TinfoilTP
1st century BC, so the stuff is likely Roman.

Celtic, Probably Germany.

I don't think the EU started that long ago, although amazingly enough there was a kind of EU central to Britain in the 19th century right up to WW1, but that's another story. It's a given that there's not much recorded history before the Romans in almost AD, and Caeser in that period didn't get much farther than the shore to answer the question you answered to, though he did make contact, but it was around 43 AD that the Roman conquest happened, or began.
It's intruiging stuff though, here's a list of tribes of Britain,
01: Caledones
02: Taexali
03: Carvetii
04: Venicones
05: Epidii
06: Damnonii
07: Novantae
08: Selgovae
09: Votadini
10: Brigantes
11: Parisi
12: Cornovii
13: Deceangli
14: Ordovices
15: Corieltauvi
16: Iceni
17: Demetae
18: Catuvellauni
19: Silures
20: Dubunni
21: Dumnonii
22: Durotriges
23: Belgae
24: Atrebates
25: Regni
26: Cantiaci
27: Trinovantes
There are many more given names, some that have no trace, others that might be part of the above the names given prominently Tacitus and Ptolemy, while there were others I have no clue of, but you can read on this stuff until your eyeballs fall out.
However the Barbarians had all sorts from other countries including the areas now known as Germany, (Julius Caesar..Germania) but that is Roman times.
So, it's not likely that this gold stuff from BC is German per se...Gasp!

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: gortex

Yeah, if you were born in the right community, it could have been an awesome life.

It'd definitely be a time to visit if we had the opportunity. Not sure about staying there though!

It could have been awesome in the right place, but there were tribal wars all over.
As for staying there, it seems the Spanish had a thing about coming to Ireland for their hols and staying there long before the Celts..however, there is even a question mark over that, and the latest thinking is that it is the other way round..sort of, due to more recent archeological remains found behind a pub
Worst still is the likeness of Celtic language through Iberia and east west places of europe that has no part to play as to origins, just a big mix of travellers 2500 or more years ago, see here,
ww.irishcentral.com/roots/history/skeletal-remains-discovered-behind-pub-challenge-beliefs-on-irish-origins
So are we back to the idea of race being say, either black or white or all of us out of Africa, and that everything else should be considered generic and culture, I would say, that the latter is most likely true, while the former is riven with difficulty, and makes no sense anyway.