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Rare Bronze Age Gold Necklace Discovered in Yorkshire Dales
26 Oct
Summary
- Nationally significant Bronze Age gold necklace found in stream
- Provides insight into lives of people who lived over 4,000 years ago
- Only the second complete lunula found in Yorkshire, now on display
In a remarkable discovery, a nationally significant Bronze Age gold necklace has been found by a metal detectorist in a stream near Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales. The large, crescent-shaped object, known as a lunula, is believed to offer a rare insight into the lives of people who lived in the region over 4,000 years ago.
The lunula, which dates back to around 2000 BC, has been acquired by Craven Museum and is now the centerpiece of its Bronze Age collection. Curator Charlotte Craig says this is only the second complete or almost complete lunula found in Yorkshire, and the only one on permanent display in the north of England.
Lunulae are considered some of the earliest and most impressive examples of ancient goldworkers' craft. While the Grassington area is well known for its Iron Age and Bronze Age sites, experts say nothing similar had been discovered before that so clearly showed the wealth and status of those communities.
The object has been researched by the British Museum in London before being returned to North Yorkshire, where it will now be available for the public to view and appreciate the sophistication and connections of the people who lived in the region millennia ago.
