ring; terret
Description
An elaborately enamelled copper alloy terret ring found in the parish of Airth.
The horse-shoe shaped ring is cast, with swollen terminals that contain voids where an iron bar held it onto the yoke of the horse-drawn vehicle. The enamel is set into sunken fields created at the time of casting. They consist of a series of curving triangular panels set with red enamel interspersed with kidney-shaped fields of yellow enamel. The outer edge has four narrow grooves of red enamel that contract near the centre as the ring narrows. At either end of these is a two-banded circle of red enamel.
The alloy contains lead (which is not found in such high proportions in Roman bronze) and stylistically can be dated to 50BC-50AD. The decoration suggests that it was made in the south of England. The high level of ornamentation shows that this was an object of considerable status and that the vehicle would have been a chariot. Red enamel is the favoured colour for such items. Terret rings are used to guide the reins on vehicles pulled by more than one horse so that they do not get caught up with one another or other obstructions. They were attached to the yoke and another plain terret ring was found near this one. Wear lines on the inside edge show that it was well used, and at one point the outer grooves have been worn down.
The elite Iron Age social class to which this belonged is also represented by goods found in burials elsewhere in the Falkirk district. Swords, spears and shield bosses from Camelon, a bronze spear and a trumpet brooch from Goshen in Stenhousemuir, an unusual samian drinking vessel from Falkirk and a bracelet from Blackness Castle.
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Public comments
Stunning
- Alan Baxter posted 3 years ago.