Trinity Hoard
49°14′N 2°05′W / 49.23°N 2.09°W / 49.23; -2.09
Trinity Hoard is a collection of Bronze Age items, including 23 bronze axeheads, found in Jersey in 2012.
Find and study
The hoard of late Bronze Age (around 1,000 BCE) items was found inside a pottery container, about 30 cm underground, in October 2012, by metal detectorist Ken Rive, in the Parish of Trinity in the north of Jersey. A conservator from Jersey Heritage was able to attend at the find before digging began. The container was around 30 cm across. It had been damaged, probably by a plough, which had freed the two axeheads.[1] There was other material at the site, including pieces of broken pottery not from the primary find.[2]
Initially, only two socketed axeheads were identified,[2] but after scanning by an X-ray scanner at Jersey Airport, a further 21 axeheads, at least, were seen to be present in the pot. The first two axeheads were subjected to an X-ray fluorescence scan at Cranfield University, which showed that the bronze alloy has a very high lead content (nearly 55%). Such a high lead content level would have made the axes too soft for practical use, suggesting that they were prestige objects that were accumulated as a sign of wealth.[3] The pottery container was opened by conservators, and a total of 25 axeheads were recovered, in the care of Jersey Heritage, and treated with advice from the British Museum. A display from the hoard was established in the Jersey Museum in December 2012.[1]
The find came months after another significant find in Jersey, the Grouville Hoard, which included about 70,000 pieces of Celtic coin, and gold and silver jewellery.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b Bronze Age Discovery, Factsheet 2012. Jersey: Jersey Heritage. 2012. pp. 1–3.
- ^ a b c "Second ancient treasure hoard found". ThisIsJersey.com. 10 October 2012. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Airport x-ray scans reveal haul of new Bronze Age axeheads in pot found in Jersey field". Culture24. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
