Bronze Age Gold from Wales

Fragments of the fittings from a later fourth century two-strap military belt. One item consists of the remains of a hollow, incomplete tube with spiral fluting. The piece is 54mm in length but was originally longer. It functioned as a terminal fitting to the wide strap of a two-strap belt. One of the other fragments found in association with the terminal fitting may be the end of a plain rectangular belt stiffener of the type which developed from the propeller stiffener of the earlier narrower two-strap belt and featured on the later wider two-strap belt. The fragment of bronze which is thought to be part of a rectangular stiffener is pierced by a hole which shows traces of iron corrosion from the iron shaft of a circular bronze stud the outline of which remains impressed into the end of the stiffener. There are two other similar fragments, but wider, and four other associated fragments of bronze.