HOW WAS GOLD USED IN BRONZE AGE BRITAIN?
Bronze Age gold artefacts, such as this cup found in Cornwall, were used to designate high status
Between 2500 and 800 BC, communities in Britain first learned how to work metal, producing bronze, copper and gold items.
There are currently no known gold mines in Europe dated to the Bronze Age, so the metal was likely obtained using the panning technique.
Gold artefacts were used to designate the high status of those who wore or were buried with them.
These items included jewellery, pots, cups and small battle ornaments fixed to swords, daggers and other weaponary.
Around 1,500 gold artefacts dating to the Bronze Age survive in collections, with around 1000 from Ireland and 500 from Britain.
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