Ipswich Hoard
Encyclopedia
There are two notable Ipswich Hoards. The first was a hoard of Anglo-Saxon
coins discovered in 1863. The second was a hoard of six Iron Age
gold
torc
s that was discovered in 1968 and 1969. The latter hoard has been described as second only to the Snettisham Hoard
in importance as a hoard from the Iron Age, and is held at the British Museum
.
(1763–1823), when it was demolished during road widening in 1863. It was reported as consisting of 150 coins, although only 75 are known now. The coins were all silver pennies of the reign of Aethelred II, minted in London and Ipswich. It is tempting to associate this find with the ravaging of Ipswich which took place in 991. However clues in the coins indicate that the hoard may have been deposited between 979 and 985.
s. These were found in the Belstead
area near Ipswich. A sixth torc was found the following year some distance away and is assumed to be from the same collection. The torcs are made from green gold as they have a lower proportion of silver in them than later finds. This leads the British Museum experts to date their manufacture to about 75 B.C. However the torcs may have been used by many generations before they hoarded away.
The museum estimates that the maximum neck diameter of the people who wore these torcs was 18.7 cm.
.
Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon may refer to:* Anglo-Saxons, a group that invaded Britain** Old English, their language** Anglo-Saxon England, their history, one of various ships* White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, an ethnicity* Anglo-Saxon economy, modern macroeconomic term...
coins discovered in 1863. The second was a hoard of six Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
torc
Torc
A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large, usually rigid, neck ring typically made from strands of metal twisted together. The great majority are open-ended at the front, although many seem designed for near-permanent wear and would have been difficult to remove. Smaller torcs worn around...
s that was discovered in 1968 and 1969. The latter hoard has been described as second only to the Snettisham Hoard
Snettisham Hoard
The Snettisham Hoard, Snettisham Treasure or Snettisham Torc, is a series of discoveries of Iron Age precious metal, found in the Snettisham area of the English county of Norfolk between 1948 and 1973....
in importance as a hoard from the Iron Age, and is held at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
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First hoard (1863)
The first hoard was found in an earthenware pot buried about 10 feet beneath the doorstep of the house at the corner of Old Buttermarket and White Hart Lane in Ipswich, which had previously belonged to numismatist James ConderJames Conder
James Conder was an English businessman and numismatist. He is known for giving his name to Conder Tokens and because of the coincidence of an ancient hoard of coins found ten feet under his doorstep when his house was demolished.-Life:...
(1763–1823), when it was demolished during road widening in 1863. It was reported as consisting of 150 coins, although only 75 are known now. The coins were all silver pennies of the reign of Aethelred II, minted in London and Ipswich. It is tempting to associate this find with the ravaging of Ipswich which took place in 991. However clues in the coins indicate that the hoard may have been deposited between 979 and 985.
Second hoard (1968-9)
The 1968 hoard was discovered during building work and consisted of five similar neck ornaments called torcTorc
A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large, usually rigid, neck ring typically made from strands of metal twisted together. The great majority are open-ended at the front, although many seem designed for near-permanent wear and would have been difficult to remove. Smaller torcs worn around...
s. These were found in the Belstead
Belstead
Belstead is a village and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England. Located around south-west of Ipswich town centre, in 2005 it had a population of 190.-Hoard:...
area near Ipswich. A sixth torc was found the following year some distance away and is assumed to be from the same collection. The torcs are made from green gold as they have a lower proportion of silver in them than later finds. This leads the British Museum experts to date their manufacture to about 75 B.C. However the torcs may have been used by many generations before they hoarded away.
Appearance
The torcs have been manufactured by twisting two strands of large diameter wire around each other and fashioning them into a near circle. The ends of the twisted wire are finished with terminal decorations. These would have been created in wax around the ends of the wire. The wax is then coated, at least once, with a ceramic slurry and left to harden. The ceramic is then heated which allows the wax to leave and gold is poured into the cavity. This lost wax process allows the terminals to include a level of detail that was initially created on the wax. The terminals created for these torcs were hollow. Each of the torcs has a slightly different design for the left and right terminal.The museum estimates that the maximum neck diameter of the people who wore these torcs was 18.7 cm.
Today
The 1968 finds are in room 50 of the British Museum, but there are also copies of these torcs in the Ipswich MuseumIpswich Museum
Ipswich Museum is a registered museum of culture, history and natural heritage located on High Street in Ipswich, the County Town of the English county of Suffolk...
.