The Banc Tynddol sun-disc () is a small, decorated,

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

ornament discovered near Cwmystwyth,

Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It most likely was part of a funerary garment and is dated to 2450-2150 BCE, which makes it the earliest gold artifact found in Wales. It was discovered on 16 October 2002 by a team of

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

s who were investigating the site of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

and

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

smelting Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron-making, iron, copper extraction, copper ...

hearth A hearth () is the place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by a horizontal hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos (a low, partial ...

s below the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

mine on Copa Hill.Ceredigion, A Wealth of History

History

The area around Cwmystwyth has been mined for lead and copper for more than 4,000 years, almost since the beginning of metalworking in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

.sun-disc – one of Wales"s earliest gold objects
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Site excavation

Excavations have shown that these

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

sites date to the

(first century AD) and

Early Medieval The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Middle Ages of Europ ...

(ninth to twelfth century AD) periods, but one of the most important finds of the excavation was the gold disc about the size of a milk-bottle top, which pre-dated these discoveries by more than 2,000 years.

At the time of its discovery, it seemed uncertain as to whether the gold object had ever been intentionally deposited; no earlier archaeological features were at that time identified, whilst its shallow find-spot suggested that it had been disturbed and re-deposited some distance downslope from its original burial context. However, the object was at that time identified and reported to HM Coroner for Ceredigion as a Treasure find on 30 October 2002, whilst further study of the find continued, and a follow-up investigation of the find spot was planned. Given concerns over the possibility of further artefacts remaining within the ground by virtue of association with the disc, also potential treasure, re-excavation of the site took place in March 2003, with funding from the National Museums and Galleries of Wales. Samples of soil containing degraded bone fragments were collected for dating along with charcoal from in and around the grave. Insufficient
collagen Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix of the connective tissues of many animals. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up 25% to 35% of protein content. Amino acids are bound together to form a trip ...
survived to provide any sort of reliable date from the bone, whilst the three samples of charcoal recovered from the grave fill proved to be intrusive; one suggesting Mesolithic activity associated with the pre-burial land surface (OxA-12983: 8850 ± 40 210–7760 CalBC, another a Late Roman date for the ground surface covering the edge of the grave (OxA-12955: 1675 ± 28 20–430 Cal AD, whilst the third consisted of a single piece of oak charcoal derived from the Early Medieval smelting horizon above (OxA-12956: 1264 ± 27 70–840 Cal AD. Whilst not providing us with any clear answer, these results do at least support the possibility of a prehistoric burial.

Upon further investigation it was determined that the absence of identifiable skeletal remains and of only a thin film with insufficient collagen, precluded accurate

Carbon-14 Carbon-14, C-14, C or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic matter is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and coll ...

(C14) dating.Archaeology in Wales

Detailed description

The disc is 3.89 cm in diameter, with a weight of 2.51g, made of a very pure gold that is composed of around 93.5% gold, around 6.5%

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

, and a negligible amount of copper. It is decorated with concentric line and dot circles and pierced by two central holes, apparently for attachment. The design was determined to belong to the Primary

Bell Beaker The Bell Beaker culture, also known as the Bell Beaker complex or Bell Beaker phenomenon, is an archaeological culture named after the inverted-bell Beaker (archaeology), beaker drinking vessel used at the beginning of the European Bronze Age, ...

Goldwork Tradition.Antiquity Vol 78 No 302 December
Even though the exact source for the metal cannot be established, the composition appears consistent with that for Irish, Scottish, and Welsh

alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

gold. The disc was most likely made for a funerary garment and possibly, to symbolize the life-giving power of the sun. Further investigation of the discovery site revealed skeletal remains that once were covered over by a mound of stones, known as a

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

. The grave was located within a crescent of boulders and was oriented to look down the valley to the west—a poignant resting place for the person wearing one of Wales's first metal discs derived from native gold. Similar artifacts have been found in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, The Isle of Man, and

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. Most known examples of this class of 'sun-disc' have been found in Ireland (21), with smaller numbers from Scotland (6), England (5), and similar examples from France. This is the first example to be found in Wales and thought to be the earliest gold artifact from Wales, probably belonging to the slightly later established Beaker phase (c. 2000 BC). The Banc Ty'nddôl disc most closely resembles an example from Ireland that remains without provenance, having two-four linear circles in repoussé and two central perforations. A similar style with repoussé dots is to be found in an example from

Kirk Andreas Andreas ( or ; ) is one of the seventeen parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the north of the island (part of the traditional ''North Side'' division) in the sheading of Ayre. The main settlement in the parish in the village of Andre ...

in The Isle of Man. In Brittany, gold discs with similar dot and linear decoration have been discovered in

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

tombs and they also appear to be associated with early Beaker (

Chalcolithic The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...

) abandonment deposits. In Britain, three examples have been found associated with two Beaker burials (one as a pair, and one as a single find) at

Mere Mere may refer to: Places * Mere, Belgium, a village in East Flanders * Mere, Cheshire, England * Mere, Wiltshire, England People * Mere Broughton (1938–2016), New Zealand Māori language activist and unionist * Mere Smith, American television ...

and Farleigh Wick in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

. The similarities in style and decorative technique between the Banc Ty'nddôl disc and 'basket earrings' or gold hair tress ornaments associated with rich Beaker burials is striking. Examples from Kirkhaugh,

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

had been tooled similarly on the surface as a means of enhancing the repoussé lines applied to the back, a detail precisely matched on the Banc Ty'nddôl disc. The Kirkhaugh basket earring and other items from similar burial sites can all be dated to the period between 2500–1900 BC.

Current status

The disc was declared a treasure in December 2003 and has since been acquired by the Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales.

Gallery

Image:Banc_Ty'nddôl_sun-disc-cropped.JPG, The disc being worn showing possible means of attachment to tunic or other garment. Image:Graig_y_Ddalfa_at_Cwmystwyth_lead_mines-by-Rudi-Winter.jpg,

Cwmystwyth mines Cwmystwyth mines are located in Cwmystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales and exploited a part of the Central Wales Orefield. Cwm Ystwyth is a scheduled monument, with mining activity dating back to the British Bronze Age, Bronze Age. Silver, lead, and zin ...

, located near the excavation site.

Archaeologists

*Simon Timberlake: Excavations Director, Early Mines Research Group, Cambridge CB5 8ST, UK. *Adam Gwilt: Later Prehistorian, Department of Archaeology, National Museum & Gallery of Wales, CF10 3NP, UK. *Mary Davis: Archaeological Conservator, National Museum & Gallery of Wales, Cardiff CF10 3NP, UK.

Footnotes

References

* * * Timberlake, S. 2002 a Medieval lead smelting boles near Penguelan, Cwmystwyth, Archaeology in Wales 42: 45–59 *—2002 b Cwmystwyth, Banc Ty'nddôl: gold disc, AW 42, 97–98 Timberlake, S. 2003 Excavations on Copa Hill, Cwmystwyth (1986–1999); An Early Bronze Age copper mine within the uplands of Central Wales. BAR British Series 348 Oxford: Archaeopress. * * Banc Ty'nddôl, Cwmystwyth' in Archaeology in Wales* 44 *(2004) pp. 137–139

External links

Early Mines Research Group

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banc Ty'nddol sun-disc History of Ceredigion Archaeology of Wales Archaeological sites in Ceredigion Art discs and ovals Gold objects 2002 archaeological discoveries Welsh art Bronze Age art Treasure troves of Bronze Age Britain Welsh artefacts Collection of Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales Archaeological discoveries in the United Kingdom