Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T00:30:11.408Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Early Bronze Age lead — a unique necklace from southeast Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Fraser Hunter
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, National Museums of Scotland, Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JD, Scotland
Mary Davis
Affiliation:
Conservation & Analytical Research Section, National Museums of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, Scotland

Extract

Excavation of an Early Bronze Age cist cemetery at West Water Reservoir, Peeblesshire, has uncovered a unique two-strand necklace, with one string of cannel coal disc beads and another of lead beads, buried around the neck of a young child. This is the earliest evidence for the use of metallic lead in Britain and Ireland.

Type
Miscellaneous
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd. 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Annable, F.K. & Simpson, D.D.A. 1964. Guide catalogue of the Neolithic and Bronze Age collections in Devizes Museum, Devizes: Wiltshire Archaeological & Natural History Society.Google Scholar
Arnal, J., Bocquet, A. Robert, A. & Verraes, G. 1979. La naissance de la metallurgie daus le sud-est de la France, in Ryan (1979): 3563.Google Scholar
Barge, H. 1982. Lesparures du néolithique ancien au déhut de l’äge des métaux en Languedoc. Paris: CNRS.Google Scholar
Briard, J. 1979. Problèmes métallurgiques du bronze Armoricain: étain, plomb et argent, in Ryan (1979): 8196.Google Scholar
Bruce, M. 1986. The skeletons from the cists, in Shepherd, I.A.G. Powerful pots: Beakers in north-east prehistory: 1722. Aberdeen: Anthropological Museum.Google Scholar
Budd, P., Gale, D., Pollard, A.M. Thomas, R.G. & Williams, P.A. 1992. The early development of metallurgy in the British Isles, Antiquity 66: 677–86.Google Scholar
Clarke, D.V., Cowie, T.G. & Foxon, A. 1985. Symbols of powerat the time of Stonehenge. Edinburgh: HMSO.Google Scholar
Cochran-Patrick, R.W. 1878. Early records relating to Google Scholar
Cowie, T. & Ritchie, G. 1991. Bronze Age burials at Gairneybank, Kinross-shire, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 121: 95109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, M. 1993. The identification of various jet and jetlike materials used in the Early Bronze Age in Scotland, The Conservator 17: 1118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DES. Discovery and Excavation in Scotland. Edinburgh: Council for British Archaeology Scottish Regional Group (Council for Scottish Archaeology).Google Scholar
Gale, N.H. & Stos-Gale, Z.A. 1981. Cycladic lead and silver metallurgy, Annual of the British School at Athens 76: 169224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glumac, P.D. & Todd, J.A. 1987. New evidence for the use of lead in prehistoric southeast Europe, Archeomaterials 2: 2937.Google Scholar
Guilaine, J. 1972. L’Age du Bronze en Languedoc Occidental, Roussillon, Ariege. Paris: Editions Klincksieck. Mémoires de la Société Préhistorique Frangaise 9.Google Scholar
Henshall, A.S. 1979. Artefacts from the Quanterness cairn, in C. Renfrew, Investigations in Orkney: 7593. London: Society of Antiquaries of London.Google Scholar
Howarth, E. 1899. Catalogue of the Bateman collection of antiquities in the Sheffield Public Museum. London: Dulau & Co.Google Scholar
Hunter, F. 1993. West Water Reservoir, Discovery and Excavation in Scotland 1992: 910. Edinburgh: Council for Scottish Archaeology.Google Scholar
Hunter, F.J., Mcdonnell, J.G. Pollard, A.M. Morris, C.R. & Rowlands, C.C. 1993. The scientific identification of archaeological jet-like artefacts, Archaeometry 35: 6989.Google Scholar
Hutcheson, A. 1891. Notice of the discovery and examination of a burial cairn of the bronze age at the farm of Gilchorn, near Arbroath, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 25 (1890–1): 447–63.Google Scholar
Hutcheson, A. 1902. Notice of the exploration of a cairn of the bronze age at Greenhill, in the parish of Balmerino, Fifeshire, Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kinnes, I.A. 1985. Beaker and Early Bronze Age grave groups. London: Trustees of the British Museum. British Bronze Age Metalwork Associated Finds Series A7–16.Google Scholar
Needham, S.P., & Hook, D.R. 1988. Lead and lead alloys in the bronze age – recent finds from Runneymede Bridge, in Slater, E.A. & Tate, J.O. (ed.), Science and Archaeology Glasgow 1987: 259–74. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports. British series 196.Google Scholar
Northover, J.P. 1980. The analysis of Welsh Bronze Age metalwork, in H.N. Savory, Guide catalogue of the Bronze Age collections: 229–43. Cardiff: National Museum of Wales.Google Scholar
Oakes, S. Unpublished. Survey of mines and quarries around West Linton.Google Scholar
Parnell, J. & Swainbank, I. 1984. Interpretation of Pb isotope compositions of galenas from the Midland valley of Scotland and adjacent regions, Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh: Earth Sciences 75:Google Scholar
Plggott, S. 1938. The Early Bronze Age in Wessex, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 4: 52106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raftery, J. 1961. National Museum of Ireland archaeological acquisitions in the year 1959, Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 61: 43107.Google Scholar
RCAHMS (The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland). 1967. Peeblesshire: An inventory of ancient monuments. Edinburgh: RCAHMS.Google Scholar
Roscian, S., Claustre, F. & Dietrich, J.-É. 1992. Les parures du Midi Méditerranéen du Néolithique Ancien à l’Äge du Bronze: origine et circulation des matières premieres, Gallia Préhistoire 34: 209–57.Google Scholar
Russel, A.D. 1990. Two Beaker burials from Chilbolton, Hampshire, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 56: 153–72.Google Scholar
Ryan, M. (ed), 1979. The origins of metallurgy in Atlantic Europe. Dublin: Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Shell, C.A. 1979. The early exploitation of tin deposits in south-west England, in Ryan (1979): 251–63.Google Scholar
Sheridan, J.A.,& Davis, M. In preparation. The National Museums of Scotland prehistoric jet project.Google Scholar
Tylecote, R.F. 1986. The prehistory of metallurgy in the British Isles. London: Institute of Metals.Google Scholar
Waddell, J. 1990. The Bronze Age burials of Ireland. Gal-way: Galway University Press.Google Scholar