3,000-year-old gold pendant to go on public display for the first time in Shropshire

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An extraordinary sun pendant is to go on public display for the first time in Shrewsbury as part of the British Museum’s National Programmes.

The sun pendant, also known as a bulla, could be one of the most significant pieces of Bronze Age metalwork ever discovered in Britain. The rare and spectacular object will be hosted at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery later this year from September until December as a British Museum Spotlight Loan.

Discovered in the Shropshire Marches in May 2018 by an anonymous metal detector user, nothing like the sun pendant has been found in this country for over a century.

Shrewsbury also hopes to acquire other archeologically significant Bronze Age objects from the same findspot and is launching a crowdfunding campaign to display these objects at the same time as the sun pendant.

The sun pendant (HESH-43148A) is over 3,000 years old, dating between 1000–800BC in the late Bronze Age period. 

Solar symbolism was a key element of mythology and belief in the Bronze Age and this pendant celebrates the life-giving power of the sun during the time of the earliest metalworkers. The sun pendant is therefore a hugely significant addition to knowledge of the art and iconography of Bronze Age Britain.

The sun pendant marks the end of an era as one of the final expressions of an art style and belief system that had lasted for almost 1,500 years. Deposited intentionally in a wetland landscape of bogs and ponds 3,000 years ago, the pendant provides a starting point for discussions about the role of both water and the sun in the religious beliefs and life in deep history.

Measuring 3.6cm high and 4.7cm wide, this bulla is only the second ever found in Britain. The other Irton bulla – now lost – was discovered near Manchester in 1722 and only known from a picture. Its quality was so high that experts of the day believed it must be Roman.

It was last recorded in 1806 before disappearing from records. Curators hope it may one day be rediscovered in a private collection. In Ireland, six similar gold pendants have been found, though these are not identical to this gold pendant.

Alongside the sun pendant, Shropshire Museums are hoping to crowdfund to be able to acquire other historically significant objects unearthed from the findspot to help tell the complete story of ancient Shropshire.

These include an exceptionally rare jewellery parcel wrapped by lead, believed to be one of the first records of using this material, and hoards which have the potential to date the transition between Bronze and Iron Ages.

Shrewsbury Museum will need to raise £40,000 as the reward value of these Treasure objects. Raising this money will enable Shrewsbury Museum to add these objects to their collection, preserve them and display to the public.

A British Museum Spotlight Loan Gathering light: A Bronze Age golden sun will be on display at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery from 10 September until 12 December 2021.

 

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