Amber Necklace

This Early Bronze Age amber necklace comes from the Upton Lovell G2e barrow (burial mound) in Wiltshire, one of the richest Bronze Age burials yet discovered in Wessex. It was excavated by William Cunnington in 1803 and may have belonged to a woman.

The necklace originally contained over 1,000 amber beads with spacers. The amber was probably imported from the Baltic and represents not only the high status of the individual who wore it, but her ability to accumulate exotic (and possibly magical) materials from faraway places. In addition to the necklace the burial contained 13 drum-shaped gold beads, a conical shale button covered with gold decorated with zigzags, a gold rectangular plate, 2 small gold cones with pommels, a grape cup, a large collared urn with a smaller vessel inside, a bronze awl and a small flat bronze dagger.

A number of other Bronze Age necklaces are known from England. They are made from a range of ‘special’ materials. These objects have complex histories and the beads seem have been accumulated over time and brought together to make this spectacular jewellery.

Reading

Pictures of Upton: http://www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk/galleries/index.php?Action=3&obID=101&prevID=9

http://www.wiltshireheritagecollections.org.uk/wiltshiresites.asp?page=selectedplace&mwsquery=%7BPlace%20identity%7D=%7BUpton%20Lovell%20G2e%7D

http://www.nms.ac.uk/our_museums/national_museum/upcoming_exhibitions/amazing_amber.aspx

Sheridan, A. and Davis, M. 1998. The Welsh ‘jet set’ in prehistory: a case of keeping up with the Joneses? In A. Gibson and D Simpson (eds.), Prehistoric Ritual and Religion, 148-163. Stroud: Sutton.