Latest news with #JonMarrow
BBC News
03-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Dorset Museum fundraises for 3,000-year-old blobs of gold
Two 3,000-year-old blobs of gold found in field in Dorset are the subject of a fundraising campaign to keep them in public gold remnants, weighing a total of 63g (2oz), were valued at £3,000 after being discovered by metal detectorists at Melcombe Horsey in October to be of very high purity, they are believed to be the by-product of Bronze Age goldworking Museum, which is hoping to acquire the treasure, has raised half the amount needed through grant funding and is appealing for donations for the rest. One of the pieces is about 4.5cm long (1.8in) and weighs just under 49g (1.7oz) while the second is 1.5cm long (0.6in) and weighs just about 14g (0.5oz).The museum's archaeology curator, Jon Marrow, said: "Though they may seem modest at first glance, these pieces offer an extraordinary glimpse into prehistoric craftsmanship. "They are tangible traces of human activity from a time when gold held powerful social and symbolic meaning."The fragments are part of a growing body of evidence pointing to significant Bronze Age activity in the finds include a copper-alloy axe head, a collection of gold fragments, and a bent gold bracelet, all within several hundred museum is hoping to acquire the objects to put on display and for further grant funding has come from the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
13-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Crichel Hoard: Dorset Museum to acquire Bronze Age gold
A hoard of "exceptionally rare" 3,000-year-old gold ornaments, found by metal detectorists in Dorset, is the subject of a campaign to keep it in the three Bronze Age objects were found in March 2022 and date back to about 1400–1150 as the Crichel Hoard, the bent ornaments have been valued at £9,000 and Dorset Museum is fundraising to acquire, conserve and display museum said they shed "new light on Bronze Age life in southern England". The collection is made up of a twisted gold ribbon torc bracelet, a gold strip thought to be part of a larger piece of jewellery, and a spiralled gold bracelet weighing 46g (1.6 oz).Jon Marrow, of Dorset Museum, said: "One of the most interesting things about this hoard is that the gold twisted torc is of a type normally found further north and west. "It's also intriguing that such objects are so often damaged before burial, as though this was done ritually but it's hard for us to discern what the beliefs were behind this practice."The museum said £8,000 had already been raised through the Arts Council England and V&A Purchase Grant Fund, and The Headley Trust.A spokesperson said: "Artefacts like these are exceptionally rare in this region and significantly deepen our understanding of early gold working, social structures, and cultural practices over three millennia ago." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
