Collections Online
Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales
Advanced Search
Late Bronze Age gold lock ring
This is a small, gold penannular ring, which has been crushed nearly flat and is damaged at one end and on one face. This damage is a mixture of recent activity, and a prehistoric action. Originally, the ring would have been near circular (c.3cm in diameter), with a three-dimensional form and a triangular shaped cross-section. This type of ring is known as a ‘lock-ring’. This is one of eight lock-rings currently known from Wales; the only example found as a single find and the only example from west Wales. One small piece is detached and no join can be detected.
The ring was produced from two circular and plain face-plates that joined at the external circumference, with a gold wire fused (probably soldered) to form an outer rim-binding. A central circular opening to the ring – probably once approximately 9.5mm in diameter - was lined by a third sheet. This was tube shaped, though discontinuous, with a gap in the vertical plane for the slot. The terminals would also have had a triangular cross-section, and were seemingly open (i.e. with no covering).
Project Title: Gold in Britain’s auriferous regions, 2450-800 BC: towards a coherent Research Framework and Strategy. Status: Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Network Grant funded project (2018-2019)
Personal Use – images can be used by the person downloading them for research, study or creating learning resources. Images cannot be used for commercial purposes.
For all other uses and formats please contact images@museumwales.ac.uk
What is personal use?Personal Use – images can be used by the person downloading them for research, study or creating learning resources. Images cannot be used for commercial purposes.
For all other uses and formats please contact images@museumwales.ac.uk
What is personal use?Personal Use – images can be used by the person downloading them for research, study or creating learning resources. Images cannot be used for commercial purposes.
For all other uses and formats please contact images@museumwales.ac.uk
What is personal use?Collection Area
Item Number
Find Information
Site Name: Newport, Pembrokeshire
Notes: Single find. The ring was found on 30th March 2009 while metal-detecting in a ploughed field. It was recovered from the ploughsoil about 2-3cm below the surface.