The Newark Torc is a complete

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductilit ...

torc A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some had hook and ring closures and a few had ...

found by a metal detectorist on the outskirts of

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road bypasses the town on the line of t ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, in February 2005. The torc is made from

electrum Electrum is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of copper and other metals. Its color ranges from pale to bright yellow, depending on the proportions of gold and silver. It has been produced artificially, ...

, an alloy of gold, silver and copper, weighs 700 grammes (1.5 lbs) and is 20 cm in diameter. The body is formed from rolled gold alloy wires, which had then been plaited into eight thin ropes then twisted together. The terminals are ring-shaped and bear floral and point-work designs. The torc was probably made in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nort ...

. It is closely similar to one found at Sedgeford, north Norfolk – so much so that one expert has suggested that they might have been made by the same craftsman. The torc had been buried in a pit, and as such is considered a

hoard A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...

ed item rather than a stray loss. The reason for its deposition is uncertain, although Jeremy Hill, head of research at the British Museum, speculated that it might have been buried "possibly as an offering to the gods."

"
t is T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is der ...
probably the most significant find of Iron Age Celtic gold jewellery made in the last 50 years ... tshows an incredibly high level of technological skill in working the metal and a really high level of artistry. It is an extraordinary object." Jeremy Hill.

The torc has been dated to between 250 and 50 BC, and is thought to have been buried in around 75 BC. The torc was found by Maurice Richardson, a

tree surgeon An arborist, tree surgeon, or (less commonly) arboriculturist, is a professional in the practice of arboriculture, which is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants in dendr ...

, while he was metal detecting in a field. The torc was declared

treasure trove A treasure trove is an amount of money or coin, gold, silver, plate, or bullion found hidden underground or in places such as cellars or attics, where the treasure seems old enough for it to be presumed that the true owner is dead and the he ...

in 2005 and purchased in 2006 for Newark's Millgate Museum, with significant grant aid from the

National Heritage Memorial Fund The National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) was set up in 1980 to save the most outstanding parts of the British national heritage, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK. It replaced the National Land Fund which had fulfilled the ...

References

{{reflist

External links

The Art Fund page on the Newark Torc"Iron Age necklace discovered" The Guardian
* ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/7736380.stm BBC webpagebr>The Newark Torc
on

flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professiona ...

Iron Age Britain Archaeological sites in Nottinghamshire Treasure troves of the Iron Age Treasure troves in England Torcs Metal detecting finds in England Newark-on-Trent Ancient Celtic metalwork 2005 in England 2005 archaeological discoveries

See also

References

External links