History About British Jewelry

(Picture) The only bracelet unearthed by Leekfrith Torcs in Staffordshire. Its detailed diagram shows the unique pattern of the Celts. It is also the oldest Celtic gold artwork found in the UK.

The Celts are the aboriginals of Western Europe and England. But this is not the first time that Britain has discovered the iconic Celtic ornament-the golden collar (Torc). In fact, the British Museum has a group of treasures excavated by Snettisham (Snettisham). There are many golden collars that have been People are buried neatly in the ground.

(Picture) Snettisham Treasure, a golden collar from the late Iron Age, about 150--50 BC. Now in the collection of the British Museum.

But this discovery can push the age of the earliest gold jewelry found in the UK to 400-250 BC, which is nearly 2500 years ago. Not only that, but the core content of the original text of this report (which may be reprinted by People's Daily Online from the British Daily Mail Online: UK’s ‘oldest Iron Age gold' is revealed) is also:

1. "We found gold!" Although the number is small, there are only four, but the gold content exceeds 80%, which is in line with the British Treasure Act and has been defined as a treasure.

2. Treasures were discovered by folk "treasure hunters".

3. The place of discovery is not far from the last large treasure (Sterford Treasure) discovered in the county, and that batch was worth 3.28 million pounds.

(Picture) The Treasures of Stratfordshire, about the 7th-8th centuries AD. Although they were all found in Staffordshire, they were more than a thousand years behind in production time. Among the unearthed gold products are very exquisite gold filigree bracelets inlaid with garnets, which are now in the collection of the British Museum.

Another price reference is a collar found in Northern Ireland at a price of 150,000 pounds at the time of sale.

In summary, it is estimated that the value of these treasures may reach 1 million to 2 million pounds.

(Picture) A group photo of two lucky people (also good friends) who discovered the treasure. They stated that they would give half of the proceeds from the sale of the treasure to the owner of the land.

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Britain’s interest in underground excavations has a long history from official to private. At this time last year, the February issue of National Geographic magazine was titled "London Underground", telling about the great excavation of treasures on British soil represented by London.

(Picture) February 2016 issue of National Geographic Magazine

As the oldest capital city in Europe, London has continuously embraced different races and civilizations, including the Romans, Saxons, Normans, Tudors, Georgians, Regents, and Victorians. Each stage has left an indelible mark, making the current London sit on the archeological "milliard cake" nearly 10 meters high.

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But a large-scale civil engineering project in the heart of London has brought unprecedented opportunities to people. Finally, everyone can put aside the prosperous appearance and explore the city's deep past. Millions of cultural relics cover almost the entire human civilization on the Thames, starting from the Mesolithic age 11,000 years ago, until the late Victorian era, that is, the end of the 19th century.

The above is about London, but it can also radiate to the entire British history. Let us have a glimpse of the British jewelry road from archaeological excavations.

(Picture) A sketch of British history: from the invasion of the Romans to the Great Fire of London in 1666, A History of London

Before the Romans came, the composition of history was mainly legend.

(Restoration map drawn based on the unearthed remains) River Thames during the Bronze and Iron Age, the area marked by a triangle is a human settlement, and the square is a remains of a wooden structure with human activities, about 2000 BC-55 BC.

At the time, the aborigines living in Western Europe and the United Kingdom were Celts. One of the typical Celtic ornaments is a metal collar, which is found everywhere and can be made of gold, silver or even a simple iron ring.

This large collar excavated in the treasure of Snettisham belongs to the late Iron Age (approximately 150 BC-50 BC). Its rings are twisted together by eight strands of gold and silver alloy chains, each strand of alloy chain It is also twisted from eight alloy wires, using approximately one kilogram of gold and silver. These gold objects may be items dedicated to the gods.

The Romans are here.

(Based on the restoration map drawn from the unearthed remains) British-Roman period, 43-410 AD, residential areas in red. By the 2nd century AD, the population of London had reached 35,000, but the prototype of today’s city had not yet appeared.

(Picture) Thetford Treasure of Thetford, about the middle and late 4th century BC. There are 22 rings in it. The gems inlaid on it are garnet, emeralds, amethyst, semi-precious stones and glass. Now in the collection of the British Museum.

After the Romans ruled Britain, the import of jewelry from Rome became more and more popular. For example, rings, necklaces and earrings of Roman gemstone embossed styles are very popular, but they never appeared in the local area before the arrival of the Romans.

Germanic tribe invasion:

After the Romans evacuated, the two Germanic tribes, Anglo and Saxon, settled in England during the barbarian invasion in the Middle Ages, and merged into the Anglo-Saxons during the next three hundred years. They took the natives of this land The Celtics rushed to Scotland and Ireland further north. The Anglo and Saxon tribes brought Germanic styles. For example, inlaying garnet is a decorative technique often used in Germanic jewelry. They like strong visual effects, pay attention to brightness and color contrast, and even line the gemstone with gold foil to make the crimson color of the garnet look brighter.

This is a 7th-century copper brooch discovered in 2008 for the construction of the Royal Theatre. It is decorated with gold threads and mosaic-shaped garnets. It may have been worn by a Saxon noble lady. On the cloak, the workers found her tomb while building the Royal Theatre in Covent Garden. Like the former treasure of Westfordshire, the gold is divided by filigree gold threads and inlaid with garnets.

Norman Conquest

The invasion and conquest of England by William, Duke of Normandy, France in 1066 represented the end of the Anglo-Saxon era. This conquest changed the direction of England. Since then, England has been deeply influenced by the European continent. The northern dialect of Old French replaced Old English as the lingua franca of the ruling class. Merging into the European continent, being politically dependent on France, and economically increasing trade volume with low countries (now the Netherlands, Belgium) and other places were also the main factors that later revived Britain, coveted French territory, and triggered the Hundred Years War between Britain and France.

(Restoration drawing based on archaeological remains) Medieval London, 1066-1485 AD. In 1300 AD, the population of London reached 80,000. The picture reflects the outbreak of the Black Death in the 1440s, and more than half of the residents in the city died. At this time, there is no jewelry.

War of the Roses

After slowing down, the War of the Roses that broke out in the 15th century, which made the nobles stand in line, fought for 30 years. The power of the nobility was greatly weakened, thus drawing the end of the Middle Ages in England and opening a chapter for the Renaissance.

(Picture) The 15th-century treasure in Fisherport, Nottinghamshire, now in the British Museum during the War of the Roses.

Early jewelry had funerary traditions, but the jewelry after 1100 was passed down from generation to generation, or was looted and melted to be remade during the war. Therefore, these treasures unearthed are generally not funeral objects, but to avoid the looting of the war. , Hidden underground by the owner. Some treasures were excavated for half a century, and the same batch of jewels was divided into multiple places for burial.

Tudor period

(Restoration drawing based on unearthed remains) Tudor Dynasty, 1485-1603, London population reached 125,000 in 1556

At that time, European royal families and nobles mostly wore expensive gold and silver jewelry inlaid with precious stones, while common people wore stained glass or copper or tin jewelry. Before the Renaissance, most gems were only polished, not cut. Jewelry with mysterious inscriptions will be more precious.

(Left) Men's gold and enamel hat ornament, circa 1530-1540. (Picture right) The Phoenix pendant with an inscription symbolizing Elizabeth I and a phoenix image on the back, circa 1570-1580.

What a fire...

(Picture) London in 1630.

By 1660 AD, the population of London had reached 450,000.

From September 2nd to 5th, 1666, the worst fire in London’s history extended the entire city for 4 consecutive days, including 87 churches, 44 companies, and 13,000 houses. It was already the largest city in Europe at that time. About one-sixth of London’s buildings were burned down.

The Great Fire of London completely cut off the plague problem and burned to death a huge number of rats. The rats in the cellar had no hiding place at all. After reconstruction, the original wooden houses were replaced by stone houses, and personal hygiene was also improved, so that the plague did not break out. In addition, the urgent need to rebuild London after the fire has strongly stimulated domestic demand. The Royal Kensington Palace, Hampton Court, Royal Exchange, Greenwich Observatory...These projects have made the British economy begin to advance by leaps and bounds. Defoe said that without that fire, the economy of London and the entire United Kingdom would not have improved so quickly.

Victorian period

(Restoration drawing based on unearthed remains) Remains of blacksmiths and shipyards along the Thames, 19th century. Here the world's most famous battleship was produced, witnessing the glory of British industry. The population of London reached 1,600,000 in 1831 AD.

The magnificent Victorian era formed the pattern of an empire that never sets in the 19th century. The jewelry of this period will have different styles about every ten years.