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The gold Casco de Leiro ("Museo Arqueolóxico e Histórico webpage
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The gold Casco de Leiro ("Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
of Leiro") is a ritual hemispherical cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
probably dating to the end of the Late Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
(''circa'' 1,000 to 800 BC) in the town of Leiro (municipality of Rianxo
Rianxo is a port town and municipality in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain in the province of A Coruña. It has a population of a little over 15,000 and its two main industries are fishing and tourism. The town's yearly c ...
, Galicia, Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
). The circumstances of its discovery show that technically it constitutes part of 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 ...
.
The cap, hammered from a single casting of gold, is entirely covered with registers of repeated repoussé decoration, hammered over bronze molds, of repeated bosses alternating with bands of repeated concentric circles. The central point is applied with a flat-sided point in the form of a truncated cone. Its maximum diameter is 19.5 cm with a height of 15 cm to the base of the point, it weighs 270 grams.
Its registers of hammered decoration present parallels with the decors of late Bronze Age conical golden hats
Golden hats (or gold hats) (german: Goldhüte, singular: ) are a very specific and rare type of archaeological artifact from Bronze Age Europe. So far, four such objects ("cone-shaped gold hats of the Schifferstadt type") are known. The objects ...
of the Schifferstadt type, as well as the Comerford crown
The Comerford Crown or Ikerrin Crown is the name of a lost archaeological relic probably dating from the Bronze Age that was in the possession of the noble Comerford Family from its discovery in 1692 in Ireland, later removal from Ireland, and ...
(from Ireland) and the gold bowls found at Axtroki, Guipúzcoa, or the so-called Treasure of Villena
The Treasure of Villena ( es, Tesoro de Villena) is one of the greatest hoard finds of gold of the European Bronze Age. It comprises 59 objects made of gold, silver, iron and amber with a total weight of almost 10 kilograms, 9 of them of 23.5 ka ...
, Alicante. There is a possibility that its uses were twofold: as a ritual basin, though it is decoratively pierced with an awl, and inverted as an emblem of authority.
The casque was a chance discovery made by a fisherman, José Vicente Somoza, on 7 April 1976 at a small rocky point called Curruncho dos Porcos, by the beach at Leiro (Rianxo) in Galicia, Spain
Galicia (; gl, Galicia or ; es, Galicia}; pt, Galiza) is an autonomous community of Spain and historic nationality under Spanish law. Located in the northwest Iberian Peninsula, it includes the provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense, and P ...
. The site, on the large estuary called the Ría de Arousa, is part of the estuary system of the Ulla
Ulla is a given name. It is short for Ursula in German-speaking countries and Ulrika/Ulrikke in Scandinavian countries. As of 31 December 2011, there were 61,043 females named Ulla in Sweden, with the name being most popular during the 1930s an ...
, which offers "optimum conditions for navigation" and has served since time immemorial as an easy passage into the heart of Galicia. Removing some earth to flatten a space for a shed in which to beach his boat, he struck a coarsely made earthenware crock that broke as he struck it. He immediately saw that it contained a gold object, and he reported the find to the Guardia Civil of Rianxo and the Department of Archaeology at the . The find was transferred to the Museo Arqueolóxico e Histórico of A Coruña
A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and s ...
, where it is conserved./ref>
Notes
{{Reflist, 2 11th-century BC works 10th-century BC works 9th-century BC works 8th-century BC works 1976 archaeological discoveries Bronze Age art Bronze Age gold hats Gold objects Spanish art Treasure troves of Spain