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{{short description|Bronze age vessel}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} |
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| name = Ringlemere Cup |
| name = Ringlemere Cup |
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| image = |
| image = Ringlemere EBA Cup (FindID 49483).jpg |
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| image_caption = |
| image_caption = |
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| material = |
| material = Gold |
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| created = 1700-1500 BC |
| created = 1700-1500 BC |
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| discovered = [[Ringlemere barrow]] in [[2001 in archaeology|2001]] |
| discovered = [[Ringlemere barrow]] in [[2001 in archaeology|2001]] |
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| location = [[British Museum]] |
| location = [[British Museum]] |
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}} |
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The '''Ringlemere Gold Cup''' is a [[Bronze Age]] vessel found in the [[Ringlemere barrow]] near [[Sandwich, Kent|Sandwich]] in the English county of [[Kent]] in [[2001 in archaeology|2001]]. |
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The '''Ringlemere Gold Cup''' is a [[Bronze Age]] vessel found in the [[Ringlemere barrow]] near [[Sandwich, Kent|Sandwich]] in the English county of [[Kent]] in [[2001 in archaeology|2001]] by [[metal detector]]ist Cliff Bradshaw.<ref>{{cite news |title=Metal gurus: For years, metal detector fans have been accused of pillaging Britain's past. Now the culture minister says they are 'unsung heroes'. But who'd want to spend all day in a muddy field with a machine that won't stop beeping? |last=Barkham |first=Patrick |date=13 February 2007 |newspaper=The Observer |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2007/feb/13/art.patrickbarkham}}</ref> Although badly crushed by recent plough damage it can be seen to have been 14 cm high with corrugated sides. The cup resembles a late [[Neolithic]] (approximately 2300 BC) ceramic beaker with [[Corded Ware culture|Corded Ware]] decoration, but dates to a much later period. Only five similar cups have been found in Europe, all dating to the period between 1700 and 1500 BC. The cup is similar to the [[Rillaton gold cup]] found in [[Cornwall]] in 1837. |
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==Description== |
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The body of the cup was created by hammering a single piece of gold, with the handle cut from a flat strip of gold and attached by rivets.<ref>Needham et al., p.38</ref> Although badly crushed by recent plough damage{{cn|date=November 2022}} it can be seen to have been 14 cm high with corrugated sides. The cup resembles a late [[Neolithic]] (approximately 2300 BC) ceramic beaker with [[Corded Ware culture|Corded Ware]] decoration, but dates to a much later period. |
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| ⚫ | It is thought that the cup was not a [[grave goods|grave good]] |
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| ⚫ | It is thought that the cup was not a [[grave goods|grave good]], but a [[votive offering]] independent of any inhumation, which was placed at the centre of the barrow in about 1700–1500 BC. No contemporary burials have been found at the site, although later [[Iron Age]] ones have since been found, along with a [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] cemetery. |
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Bradshaw reported the find of the cup to the local [[coroner]]'s office, and through the [[Portable Antiquities Scheme]] and the [[Treasure Act 1996]] the cup was recorded and declared to be [[Treasure trove|treasure]] in 2002. It was bought by the [[British Museum]] for the amount of £270,000 (roughly US$520,000), with the money paid split between Mr. Bradshaw and the Smith family who own Ringlemere Farm. The money to secure the cup for the nation was raised through donations by the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]], the [[National Art Collections Fund]] and [[The British Museum Friends]]. This also enabled the site to be properly excavated, revealing a funerary complex of Early Bronze Age date (approximately 2300 BC) on the site. |
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Only seven similar gold "unstable handled cups" (unstable because round-bottomed) have been found in Europe, all dating to the period between 1700 and 1500 BC. The Ringlemere cup is most similar to the other British example, the [[Rillaton gold cup]] found in [[Cornwall]] in 1837. The other examples are two from Germany, two from Switzerland, one now lost from [[Brittany]], and an unprovenanced, perhaps German, example. Two other silver cups and, from Britain, two [[amber]] and some [[shale]] cups all share the same basic shapes (see [[Hove amber cup]]). The finds in Britain are in the approximate [[Wessex]] area, and on the continent near the Rhine or the Channel coast, suggesting that the vessels, though probably all made fairly locally to their find spots, related to a specific cross-channel trading zone.<ref>Needham et al., Sections 8, "conclusion" and 9, "catalogue"</ref> |
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Mr Cliff Bradshaw is a very interested amateur archaeologist. His main area of study is the Saxons 400AD - 600AD. His fascination for this period led him to undertaking studies and the scouring of the local countryside of south-east Kent for Saxon remains. In the course of his explorations as a detectorist he found a number of items including a beautiful silver Saxon strap end, three sceattas, and many brooch fragments fairly close together. The number and proximity of these items led him to believe that they were not simply accidental losses but that this was an inhabited Saxon settlement and that he would find a burial mound nearby. Over the twelve to fifteen months he had access to the field he carefully scanned all aspects of the land and in doing so was able to make out the faint outline of a raised section of field. Without wanting to jump to conclusions he felt sure that this was what he was looking for. He commenced his detecting to the south side of the mound and very quickly found a Saxon gilded brooch at a depth of eight to ten inches. The following day he continued his search on the northern perimeter of his suspected Saxon burial site; he knew from his experience as a detectorist that he would have a better chance of making a discovery on the shallower edge of the mound than he would at the deeper centre. He found the Ringlemere Cup. This was to prove to have important consequences for him as he was now obliged to stop his search for confirmation of Saxon burials. |
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Mr Bradshaw was certain the cup was not Saxon; he also knew that the Saxons placed a great importance on prehistoric earthworks and used them for their burials. That evening he discovered the similarities his find had with the Rillaton Cup. He was convinced that the gold cup belonged to an earlier age, revered and left alone by the Saxons who had used the site for their burials. |
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==Discovery, purchase and display== |
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On the first site visit Mr Bradshaw said that this was a Saxon burial, but Mr Keith Parfitt, the local archaeologist replied, ‘This is a Bronze Age Barrow of great importance, we won’t find any Saxons here’. Mr Bradshaw pointed out that the gilded brooch was very likely from a grave and that his studies indicated that the Saxons used these Ancient Barrows for their dead. Again Mr Parfitt replied ‘Not in Kent’. However a report written later by Mr Parfitt appears to give credence to Mr Bradshaw’s thoughts; he wrote that the brooch found by Mr Bradshaw could be derived from a plough damaged grave and that ‘Anglo-Saxon cemeteries, focused on Prehistoric Barrow sites, are becoming increasingly well known’. |
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The cup was discovered by [[metal detector]] Cliff Bradshaw on 4 November 2001.<ref name=BM>{{cite web |url= https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=1344081&partId=1&searchText=ringlemere+Cup&bibliography=7772&page=1 |title=Collection Online – The Ringlemere Cup |work=The British Museum |access-date=20 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4181475/Bronze-Age-gold-cup-uncovered-by-metal-detector.html |title=Bronze Age gold cup uncovered by metal detector|first= David|last=Derbyshire |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=5 April 2002 |publisher=[[Telegraph Media Group|TMG]] |location=London |issn=0307-1235 |oclc=49632006 |access-date=20 November 2016}}</ref> He reported the find to the local [[coroner]]'s office, and through the [[Portable Antiquities Scheme]] and the [[Treasure Act 1996]] the cup was recorded and declared to be [[Treasure trove|treasure]] in 2002. It was bought by the [[British Museum]] for £270,000 (then roughly US$520,000), with the money paid split between Bradshaw and the Smith family who own Ringlemere Farm.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3606481/If-it-whines-it-must-be-gold.html |title=If it whines it must be gold… |first= Elizabeth|last=Grice |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=15 November 2003 |publisher=[[Telegraph Media Group|TMG]] |location=London |issn=0307-1235 |oclc=49632006 |access-date=20 November 2016}}</ref> The money to secure the cup for the nation was raised through donations by the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]], the [[National Art Collections Fund]] and [[The British Museum Friends]].<ref name=BM /> |
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After discovery of the cup, the site was excavated between 2002 and 2005 revealing a history starting with activity in the [[Mesolithic#Europe|Mesolithic]] period, a number of [[Neolithic Europe|Neolithic]] features and finds, a funerary complex of Early Bronze Age date (approximately 2300 BC), and an Anglo-Saxon cemetery.<ref>Needham et al., chapter 2</ref> |
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From the moment he discovered the mound in November 2001 and against all opposing statements from the archaeologists on site, Mr Bradshaw continued to insist that this was a Saxon Burial Site. Finally in the summer of 2004 he was vindicated when Anglo-Saxon burials were found on the south side of the barrow. This discovery overturned the earlier hypothesis that a single sunken hut indicted that the Saxons had chosen the spot for habitation. |
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Much controversy has reigned over the location of the find of the Gold Cup. Mr Bradshaw had paced measured from a nearby electricity pole. However, it appears that this did not suit the theories of the local archaeologists and no first hand account from Mr Bradshaw was sought for the publication The Ringlemere Cup edited by S Needham, K Parfitt & G Varnell, British Museum Oct 10 2006. On reviewing the book John Barrett, professor of archaeology at the University of Sheffield found it strange that it lacked a first hand account by the finder. |
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| ⚫ | From 14 May 2004 until 13 January 2006 the cup appeared in the museum's "Buried Treasure" exhibition on [[treasure trove]], both at the museum itself and touring (to the National Museum & Gallery of Wales at Cardiff, Manchester Museum, the Hancock Museum at Newcastle, and the Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery). On its return to London, it was on temporary display in Room 2 of the British Museum, with the Rillaton cup, until 17 October 2006. From 17 October to 26 February 2007 it was on temporary display in [[Dover Museum]], closer to its find-spot, and it is now back in the Prehistory galleries at the British Museum.<ref name=BM /> |
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==See also== |
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* [[Gold working in the Bronze Age British Isles]] |
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==Notes== |
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| ⚫ | From 14 May 2004 until 13 January 2006 the cup appeared in the |
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== References == |
== References == |
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*Needham, Stuart; Parfitt, Keith; Varndell, Gillian (Eds) [https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/publications/research_publications_series/research_publications_online/the_ringlemere_cup.aspx ''The Ringlemere Cup: Precious Cups and the Beginning of the Channel Bronze Age''], 2006, British Museum Research Publication 163, {{ISBN|978-086159-163-3}} |
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== Further reading == |
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*{{citation |last=Hobbs |first=Richard |year=2003 |title=Treasure : finding our past |publisher=British Museum |isbn=978-0-7141-2321-9 }} |
*{{citation |last=Hobbs |first=Richard |year=2003 |title=Treasure : finding our past |publisher=British Museum |isbn=978-0-7141-2321-9 }} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Commons category}} |
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{{British Museum}} |
{{British Museum}} |
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{{coord|51.2647|N|1.2865|E|source:wikidata|display=title}} |
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[[Category:Treasure troves of Bronze Age Britain]] |
[[Category:Treasure troves of Bronze Age Britain]] |
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[[Category:Bronze Age art]] |
[[Category:Bronze Age art]] |
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[[Category:2001 archaeological discoveries]] |
[[Category:2001 archaeological discoveries]] |
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[[Category:Ancient art in metal]] |
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[[fr:Coupe de Ringlemere]] |
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[[ru:Кубок из Ринглмира]] |
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[[sv:Ringlemerekoppen]] |
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Revision as of 18:45, 29 May 2024
| Ringlemere Cup | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Material | Gold |
| Created | 1700-1500 BC |
| Discovered | Ringlemere barrow in 2001 |
| Present location | British Museum |
The Ringlemere Gold Cup is a Bronze Age vessel found in the Ringlemere barrow near Sandwich in the English county of Kent in 2001.
Description
The body of the cup was created by hammering a single piece of gold, with the handle cut from a flat strip of gold and attached by rivets.[1] Although badly crushed by recent plough damage[citation needed] it can be seen to have been 14 cm high with corrugated sides. The cup resembles a late Neolithic (approximately 2300 BC) ceramic beaker with Corded Ware decoration, but dates to a much later period.
It is thought that the cup was not a grave good, but a votive offering independent of any inhumation, which was placed at the centre of the barrow in about 1700–1500 BC. No contemporary burials have been found at the site, although later Iron Age ones have since been found, along with a Saxon cemetery.
Only seven similar gold "unstable handled cups" (unstable because round-bottomed) have been found in Europe, all dating to the period between 1700 and 1500 BC. The Ringlemere cup is most similar to the other British example, the Rillaton gold cup found in Cornwall in 1837. The other examples are two from Germany, two from Switzerland, one now lost from Brittany, and an unprovenanced, perhaps German, example. Two other silver cups and, from Britain, two amber and some shale cups all share the same basic shapes (see Hove amber cup). The finds in Britain are in the approximate Wessex area, and on the continent near the Rhine or the Channel coast, suggesting that the vessels, though probably all made fairly locally to their find spots, related to a specific cross-channel trading zone.[2]
Discovery, purchase and display
The cup was discovered by metal detector Cliff Bradshaw on 4 November 2001.[3][4] He reported the find to the local coroner's office, and through the Portable Antiquities Scheme and the Treasure Act 1996 the cup was recorded and declared to be treasure in 2002. It was bought by the British Museum for £270,000 (then roughly US$520,000), with the money paid split between Bradshaw and the Smith family who own Ringlemere Farm.[5] The money to secure the cup for the nation was raised through donations by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Art Collections Fund and The British Museum Friends.[3]
After discovery of the cup, the site was excavated between 2002 and 2005 revealing a history starting with activity in the Mesolithic period, a number of Neolithic features and finds, a funerary complex of Early Bronze Age date (approximately 2300 BC), and an Anglo-Saxon cemetery.[6]
The cup was number 10 in the list of British archaeological finds selected by experts at the British Museum for the 2003 BBC Television documentary Our Top Ten Treasures which included an interview with Bradshaw.
From 14 May 2004 until 13 January 2006 the cup appeared in the museum's "Buried Treasure" exhibition on treasure trove, both at the museum itself and touring (to the National Museum & Gallery of Wales at Cardiff, Manchester Museum, the Hancock Museum at Newcastle, and the Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery). On its return to London, it was on temporary display in Room 2 of the British Museum, with the Rillaton cup, until 17 October 2006. From 17 October to 26 February 2007 it was on temporary display in Dover Museum, closer to its find-spot, and it is now back in the Prehistory galleries at the British Museum.[3]
See also
Notes
- ^ Needham et al., p.38
- ^ Needham et al., Sections 8, "conclusion" and 9, "catalogue"
- ^ a b c "Collection Online – The Ringlemere Cup". The British Museum. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Derbyshire, David (5 April 2002). "Bronze Age gold cup uncovered by metal detector". The Daily Telegraph. London: TMG. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 49632006. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Grice, Elizabeth (15 November 2003). "If it whines it must be gold…". The Daily Telegraph. London: TMG. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 49632006. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ Needham et al., chapter 2
References
- Needham, Stuart; Parfitt, Keith; Varndell, Gillian (Eds) The Ringlemere Cup: Precious Cups and the Beginning of the Channel Bronze Age, 2006, British Museum Research Publication 163, ISBN 978-086159-163-3
- Hobbs, Richard (2003), Treasure : finding our past, British Museum, ISBN 978-0-7141-2321-9
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ringlemere Cup.
This article is about an item held in the British Museum. The object reference is The Ringlemere gold cup.
