Object description
The Granta Fen torque gets its name from its find location- a bog at Granta Fen in Cambridgeshire. It was discovered in 1850 as part of a hoard of gold and bronze objects including a gold bracelet, six gold-ribbed rings and a fragment of a bronze rapier.
An extremely high level of skill was required to produce this torque. The gold bar was hammered to produce flanges (ribs used for strengthening the torque). The bar is then twisted to form a flange-twisted torque. This torque has been made from a bar with four flanges that has been evenly twisted. This practice of twisting gold bars is thought to have originated in the eastern Mediterranean and the Baltic. The technique began to be used in Europe circa. 1200 BC.
The hoard was acquired by Lord Londesborough but was dispersed at an auction of his collection in 1884. The torque was acquired by General Sir Pitt-Rivers (who incidentally became an important figure in the development of archaeological methodology). From his museum in Dorset, it was acquired by John Hunt.
Granta Fen Torc/Metal,Gold/2nd millennium BC/The Hunt Collection/PD
Granta Fen Torc/Metal,Gold/2nd millennium BC/The Hunt Collection/PD
Gold in Late Bronze Age Ireland
A large quantity of gold artefacts from the Late Bronze Age have been discovered in Ireland. These include bracelets, gorgets, discs, pins and dress fasteners.
Two flange-twisted torques like the Granta Fen torque have been found in Ireland, reportedly in Tara, Co. Meath. However, these torcs differ in that they have a long solid bar extension, which is unique in Europe.
Gold has also been found as part of Bronze Age hoards in Ireland. One of the most considerable hoards which contains gold is the Mooghaun hoard. This was discovered in marshy ground close to a lake in North Co. Clare. Discovered in 1854, it contained over 150 objects including at least six gold collars and two neck-rings.
Another remarkable find from the Late Bronze Age in Ireland is a series of golden balls from Tumna in Co. Roscommon. These spheres are hollow and contained holes. Therefore, it was assumed that the balls were threaded together to form a necklace. Similar to the Granta Fen torque, a high level of craftsmanship was required to create these balls. The gold bar would have been hammered to make very thin hemispheres which were then fused together. This type of creation is very unusual and indeed cannot be equalled in Britain or north-west Europe.
Interestingly, the inspiration for the creation of the Tumna necklace appears to have come from a different material- amber. Several amber beads have been discovered in Ireland, such as Cashel, Co. Armagh. These beads are similar in size to the gold spheres from Tumna. Amber was regarded as a luxurious material at the time- it was traded from the Baltic throughout Europe.
It is clear from the wide variety of gold artefacts that a high status community existed in Ireland in the Late Bronze Age. In addition, the discovery of amber beads and their replication in gold showed that Ireland had trade links with the rest of Europe and had access to highly skilled craftspeople.
Mooghaun Gold hoard. Credit: National Museum of Ireland.
Sources
Cahill, Mary. The Gold Beads from Tumna, Co. Roscommon.
Cahill, Mary and O’Neill, John. A torturous tale- a new twist on the torcs from “Tara”. Archaeology Ireland. 2021.
National Museum of Ireland. https://www.museum.ie/en-IE/Collections-Research/Irish-Antiquities-Division-Collections/Collections-List-(1)/Bronze-Age/Late-Bronze-Age-Gold
The Hunt Museum Essential Guide. Scala Publishers. 2002.
