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Early Bronze Age necklace made from 73 disc-shaped jet beads

Each bead was individually shaped and perforated using a flint drill. The outer edge of each one was polished to produce a black, glossy surface. The edges and perforations are fresh and unworn in contrast with the triangular fastener. One of the corners of the triangle has broken off and been repolished before being added to this necklace. The perforation has rounded edges and signs of wear suggesting that the fastener is slightly older than the beads, perhaps being part of an heirloom necklace once belonging to an ancestor or older relative.

Cafodd pob glain ei ffurfio’n unigol a’i dyllu gan ddefnyddio dril fflint. Cafodd ymyl allanol pob un ei sgleinio i gynhyrchu arwyneb du, gloyw. Mae ymylon a thyllau pob glain yn ffres a heb eu gwisgo, yn wahanol i’r ffasnydd trionglog. Mae un o gorneli’r triongl wedi torri i ffwrdd ac wedi cael ei ailsgleinio cyn ei ychwanegu at y mwclis. Mae gan y twll ymylon crwn ac arwyddion gwisgo, sy’n awgrymu bod y ffasnydd ychydig yn hŷn na’r gleiniau, efallai’n rhan o fwclis etifeddol a oedd yn eiddo i hynafiad neu berthynas hŷn ar un adeg.

It was buried in the grave of a teenager or young adult who was aged between 13 and 21 when they died. They were probably female, as similar necklaces from other Early Bronze Age graves in Britain nearly always are in cases where the biological sex can be determined. At this time, most jet in the UK came from Whitby in North Yorkshire, some 300 miles away from the burial site in Ceredigion. Jet has unusual and magical qualities which might have made it especially sought after. As well as being shiny and intensely black, it is light and warm to the touch and will produce static electricity when it is rubbed!

Fe’i claddwyd ym medd rhywun yn ei arddegau neu oedolyn ifanc a oedd rhwng 13 a 21 oed pan fu farw. Tybir ei bod yn fenywaidd, oherwydd bod mwclis tebyg i’w gweld mewn beddau eraill o’r Oes Efydd Gynnar ym Mhrydain bron bob tro pan ellir adnabod y rhyw biolegol. Ar yr adeg hon, roedd y rhan fwyaf o fuchudd yn y Deyrnas Unedig yn dod o Whitby yng ngogledd Swydd Efrog, tua 300 o filltiroedd i ffwrdd o’r safle claddu yng Ngheredigion. Mae gan fuchudd nodweddion anarferol a hudol, felly mae’n bosibl y bu galw mawr amdano. Yn ogystal â bod yn sgleiniog a chyn ddued â’r frân, mae’n ysgafn ac yn gynnes i gyffwrdd ag ef a bydd yn cynhyrchu trydan statig pan gaiff ei rwbio!

This precious necklace identifies the person in the grave as someone with the connections to access sought-after materials. Even if they never visited Whitby themselves, they would have been aware that the shiny, black jet came from a distant place. The incorporation of an older fastener connected them back in time with the person, either living or dead, who owned the original necklace. This may have been a direct ancestor, such as a mother or grandmother, or could have been someone with whom they shared kinship in another way. This might be through marriage, friendship, shared craft skills or by connection to a particular place.

Mae’r mwclis gwerthfawr yma’n dangos bod y sawl sydd yn y bedd yn rhywun â chysylltiadau i allu cael deunyddiau yr oedd galw mawr amdanynt. Hyd yn oed os nad oedd erioed wedi ymweld â Whitby ei hun, byddai wedi bod yn ymwybodol bod y muchudd du, sgleiniog yn dod o rywle pell i ffwrdd. Roedd cynnwys ffasnydd hŷn yn cysylltu’r unigolyn â pherchennog, byw neu farw, y mwclis gwreiddiol. Efallai mai perthynas agos ydoedd, fel mam neu fam-gu, neu rywun yr oedd yn rhannu perthynas ag ef mewn ffordd arall, efallai trwy briodas, cyfeillgarwch, sgiliau crefft cyffredin neu drwy gysylltiad â lleoliad penodol.